CES has launched a new online Evaluating Impact Training Programme for service managers, project leads or anyone responsible for evaluating impact and reporting on outcomes in public services.
Good evaluation practice strengthens strategic decision-making by generating and using evidence effectively. It can also help organisations to demonstrate value for money and accountability, improve service design and outcomes, and build a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
The Evaluating Impact Training Programme is a practical and comprehensive programme delivered over four modules by CES experts in evaluation, data analysis and communications.
The training takes participants through the foundations of evaluating a service or programme, to developing a theory of change, designing an evaluation plan, collecting and analysing data, and then to reporting and telling the story of their impact. The training includes practical exercises and provides tools and templates to enable participants to apply the learning to their own real-world situation.
By the end of the programme participants will have created a Theory of Change for their work, an evaluation plan and a communications plan.
The new programme is accessible and cost effective as it can be completed online at a pace suitable for each person. Participants can select the modules most relevant for them or complete all four to receive a certificate.
“The presenters were great and very knowledgeable. It was great to have a team with different perspectives delivering the course. They clearly are very talented at presenting and speaking in front of people, nothing flapped them, which is great when presenting on Zoom with internet issues and differences in how people respond to the training.”
You can enrol for the Evaluating Impact training programme here
Building sustainability through the Enabling Community Outcomes project
The programme builds on the success of an earlier programme developed for community and voluntary sector organisations, through the Enabling Community Outcomes project.
Funding received from The National Lottery Dormant Assets Fund from 2023 to 2026 supported CES to test and learn about ways to increase sustainability, for our own organisation, and for the voluntary and community sector more widely.
CES aimed to build evaluation skills and capacity in the sector and across public services through the development and delivery of evaluation training, while at the same time developing a new income stream for our organisation.
The funding enabled us to pilot the training, improve our content based on feedback, learn about sales and marketing, and explore ways to make the training accessible, cost effective and sustainable in the longer term.
“The trainers were excellent, really engaging and took the time to ensure we understood the information.”
During the life of the project, it became clear that organisations and individuals from the statutory and academic sectors also have a need for support with evaluation and the programme has now widened to include public sector organisations.
