EVALUATION OF GINNINDERRY SPARK TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

RIVERVIEW DEVELOPMENTS

December 2021 - April 2022

The Challenge

SPARK is a ground-breaking training and employment initiative implemented as part of the 11,500-home Ginninderry community on the ACT/NSW border. The concept – which Strategic Development Group helped develop in 2014 – involved the linking of training, work experience and jobs for unemployed people to this 40-year project involving considerable spending on infrastructure and related development.

In 2021, the Ginninderry Joint Venture partners, Riverview, and the ACT Government commissioned an evaluation to assess the outcomes, effectiveness, and social return on investment of SPARK to:

  • Determine the program’s outcomes, including those delivered to the broader Capital region​

  • Assess the effectiveness of the program’s outcomes against its objectives​

  • Consider the value of the program to participants​

  • Consider any additional outcomes achieved by the program, particularly for disadvantaged cohorts​

The solution

Strategic Development Group was engaged to undertake the Evaluation. The team’s methodology included:

  • Surveys developed and administered for three distinct groups – participants, RTOs, and community/industry partners

  • Consultative qualitative process (done remotely due to COVID), including: Key informant interviews​; Focus group discussions​; Review of program documentation​; Analysis of relevant program data (provided by SPARK)​

  • Two case studies focused on construction and childcare were prepared

The outcome

We delivered an Evaluation Report with findings and recommendations to the client. The Evaluation found that SPARK is considered to be a successful program by all who engaged with it​ – in particular, the qualitative evidence gathered was overwhelmingly positive. A Social Return on Investment was calculated for the project​ – this quantified value to society based on a range of factors impacted when moving people from long-term unemployment to the workforce.