30Apr 2021 by Andy No Comments

Skills Needs in the Offshore Wind, Tourism and Health & Social Care sectors in the North East

Local Enterprise Partnership, Research, analysis and evidence, Sectors, Skills and labour markets
The North East Local Enterprise Partnership commissioned Ortus in partnership with Qa Research to conduct a study with businesses working in these key sectors to identify skills needs, and use the findings to inform the North East Skills Advisory Panel’s work. Established in 2019, the Skills Advisory Panel is a local partnership which aims to strengthen the link between public and private sector employers, local authorities, training providers, FE colleges and universities to help the North East LEP fulfil its local leadership role in the skills system by understanding current and future skills needs and labour market challenges. We were commissioned to undertake 370 15-minute CATI surveys – 45 with businesses operating within the off-shore wind sector, 125 with businesses operating in the Health & Social Care sector and 200…
Read More
21Apr 2021 by Andy No Comments

Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult – Strategic Impact Assessment

Evaluation and impact assessment, Sectors
In February 2021, the Offshore & Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC) commissioned Ortus to deliver an important study examining the strategic impact that the Catapult delivers to the North East region, through the activities undertaken at its Blyth testing facility.  OREC engages in ongoing assessments of economic impact in relation to the support it provides to businesses through its testing and feasibility services and facilities.  Whilst such studies provide invaluable insight into a central aspect of OREC's activities, they do not cover the wider impact that results from a wide range of strategic projects and partnerships that OREC drives and contributes to.  For example, its role in the Blyth Town Forum in relation to town centre regeneration; in skills through its partnership with Port of Tyne and Newcastle College; through its…
Read More
09Jan 2021 by Andy No Comments

TUCan Market Insight

Research, analysis and evidence, University
Ortus ER was engaged by Teesside University to assist their investment planning and decision making. This research focused on the TUCan digital studio, a unit within the Computing Science department, which has begun to work with external organisations to deliver digital content via a model which involves the academic team supported by current student and alumni. The projects provide real-world challenges for staff and students, through which students can gain vital experience within a supportive, multi-disciplinary environment. Our study examines options for developing and expanding this service through a review of potential business models, the market for digital services and a competitor assessment.
Read More
09Dec 2020 by Andy No Comments

Athena SWAN application evidence base

Equality and diversity, Research, analysis and evidence, University
Another partnership between Ortus Economic Research and Dr Eugenie Hunsicker at Loughborough University, this study was commissioned to support the EDI Manager at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in generating evidence of the equality and diversity issues faced within the Institute. The prime aim of the study was to feed evidence into the development of an institutional application for an Athena SWAN Bronze award (submitted December 2020). The study considered all aspects of equality and diversity as well as gender in order to support institutional action in addressing EDI challenges. The project required us to analyse results of a staff survey and run numerous focus groups with academic and professional and support staff in order to create an insightful evidence base. We also provide ongoing guidance and a 'critical friend' role…
Read More
22Oct 2020 by Andy No Comments

Continuing our work in equality, diversity and inclusion

News
We have been busy across 2020 with two important contracts based in Ireland.  Both build on our previous work for Advance HE to evaluate the impact of the Athena SWAN Charter, which is designed to support higher education and research institutions to address gender inequalities.  The first, for the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, has seen us work closely with the Institute’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Mary Nestor, to provide the evidence needed to support their application for the Athena SWAN Bronze Award.  This involved the design and administration of staff surveys and facilitation of six focus groups, including one with the Executive Board. The second, for the Irish Research Council (IRC), is to evaluate the IRC Gender Strategy and Action Plan, launched in 2013 with the aims of…
Read More
08Oct 2020 by Andy No Comments

NTCA strikes partnership with NICD

News
Two of our clients, the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) and the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD) at Newcastle University have recently announced a new partnership to support economic growth and Covid-19 recovery.  NICD operates a unique business model within the higher education sector.  Instead of engaging with businesses and organisations through the usual contracted research approach, it focuses on developing the data science skills and capabilities of staff within client companies and organisations.  This is done through collaborative projects with NICD playing an advisory, mentoring role to support client staff to deliver a business-critical project and gain new skills and capabilities along the way.  This means that skills are developed within the client company, leading to sustainable productivity gains, ongoing innovation and long-term business performance improvements.  The…
Read More
01Oct 2020 by Andy No Comments

Design Economy work platformed at Atlanta Design Festival

News
Over recent years we have built up a close working relationship with the Atlanta Design Festival and have been honoured to have contributed on three occasions. One of the many disappointments of 2020 has been the postponement of the Festival.  But Festival organisers MA! are nothing if not adaptive and innovative.  Instead of holding a physical festival this year, they converted the Festival to an online event from 12th to 20th September. We were delighted to see the work we completed for them about the size and scale of the Atlanta Design Economy platformed in one of the sessions.  The presentation can be found at https://atlantadesignfestival.net/ We’re currently thinking about how design might help cities and places improve their recovery from the economic and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. …
Read More
12Sep 2020 by Andy No Comments

Ortus ER collaboration wins prestigious Planning Award

News
One of the most rewarding things that can happen in any job is to receive external acknowledgement of the quality and impact of your work.  So we were delighted to have recently discovered that a project we had collaborated on has won a prestigious Planning Award.  Specifically, the MK2050 Milton Keynes Strategic Growth Study won the Plan-Making category at the 2020 Planning Awards. Our role was to provide economic insight and to develop future economic scenarios so we could then outline what growth might look like over the next three decades. This was a challenging but very interesting brief, one which provided us with an opportunity to not only present detailed analysis, but to think through the implications of various types of growth and to consider wider economic, social and…
Read More
09Sep 2020 by Andy No Comments

Economic impact assessment of the Energy Central project

Evaluation and impact assessment, Sectors
Energy Central is a successful strategic partnership which has been established to promote the Blyth Estuary’s key role in the UK offshore renewable energy sector, through the development of key industrial sites, building research capability, and ensuring a skills pipeline that is relevant to the needs of the sector. The economic regeneration organisation Advance Northumberland (one of the partners in Energy Central) appointed a partnership of New Skills Consulting and Ortus ER to deliver an economic impact assessment of Energy Central and its potential to deliver further economic benefits in the future, based on a pipeline of development projects and initiatives. Key requirements of this project included providing a baseline position by mapping the current size and scale of the energy sector in the Blyth area and evidence of the…
Read More
09Jul 2020 by Andy No Comments

IRC Gender Strategy and Action Plan review

Equality and diversity, Higher Education, Strategy and policy development
Ortus Economic Research, working in parternship with Dr Eugenie Hunsicker and Dr Gemma Witcomb from Loughborough University, are currently delivering a review of this the Irish Research Council's Gender Strategy and Action Plan. This important initiative, launched in 2013, is due to be refreshed and therefore a review of the current strategy was deemed to be an important and valuable step. The strategy has two key aims: to support gender equality in research careers across all disciplines and to support the integration of the gender dimension in research content. The review considers the impact of the current strategy, the current and likely future barriers and enablers to advancing gender equality and integrating the gender dimension into research, consideration of similar initiatives being delivered by other research funding agencies and the…
Read More