COLLEGES WEEK EVALUATION PUBLISHED

The report into Colleges Week - a national celebration of the role colleges play organised by Band & Brown on behalf of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Association of Colleges - has shown a 30 per cent increase in the number of adults hearing key messages about the role colleges play in unlocking talent.
The week focused on five key themes demonstrating the impact colleges have on developing skills, delivering excellence, building strong communities, helping businesses to succeed and transforming lives.
The report outlines the successes of the week:
– Over 450 pieces of print, broadcast and online coverage appeared
– Over 100 skills challenges held by colleges around the country
– Over 50 employer engagement events held as part of the UK’s ‘Biggest Business Breakfast’
– Over 160 colleges took part
– Widespread Ministerial and MP involvement (including Secretary of State John Denham, pictured)
– Support secured from a range of stakeholders including the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, CBI, Institute of Directors, Unison, National Association of Headteachers
YouGov, an independent market research company, was commissioned to carry out tracking research to demonstrate the impact of Colleges Week on the general public. Their main findings were:
– A 30 per cent increase in the number of adults hearing our key messages about the role colleges play in unlocking talent
– Four in 10 employers in England heard or read one of the national news stories about the benefits of Colleges in helping business to succeed
– Almost 2m people in England recalled hearing about Colleges Week itself
– In ascending order, people in the West Midlands, East of England, North East and North West were the most likely to have heard about Colleges Week, the
news stories and/or our key messages
For more details, download the evaluation report, email collegesweek@bbpr.com or visit http://www.aoc.co.uk