Current Projects:

Social Enterprise Academy

Commissioned by Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) and Scottish Investment Fund, via the Scottish Government capacity building programme, to co-ordinate and deliver Learning Needs Assessments (LNA) with social enterprises with growth potential.

The purpose of the LNA is to investigate the gap between the organisation's current capability and that needed to deliver the future results through SIS funding to the community. It enables Board and staff in the organisations to review and add to their stock of capabilities. WBS clearly identifies the needs required for the organisation to ensure it successfully prepares its bid to SIS and more importantly is able to deliver the outputs and outcomes. The LNA process developed will firstly, involve Board and senior staff completing an Organisational Health-check. Secondly, it involves each person, within the scope of the LNA, to complete an individual skills assessment and the Learning Need qualitative questions.

WBS & SEA then prepare core development workshops, linking common needs from various social enterprises and facilitates these across Scotland. The organisations are enabled to produce more successful bids and SIS has increased its confidence that delivery of the community results will be of the highest possible quality.

Learning Needs Assement (LNA)

Support for Social Investment Fund Application
Learning is a necessary process for achieving an organisation’s objectives and improving its performance. As part of the Scottish Investment Fund (SIF), the Scottish Government has commissioned the Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) to deliver a LNA process for all organisations that are successful with their application for funds from the SIF. The Social Enterprise Academy has partnered with Stephanie Pordage of WBS & Partners to take each organisation through their LNA.

What is the purpose of the Learning Needs Assessment?
At an organisational level, the purpose of the LNA is to investigate the gap between your organisation’s current capability, and what is required for it to deliver the results that are described in the investment application process managed by Social Investment Scotland (SIS). From an individual point of view it enables your board and staff to review and add to their skills and abilities.

Why is the LNA being offered as part of the application process?
A LNA will support the development journey – the development supported by SIS funds - of the organisation and its people. To effectively measure this journey, it is crucial that the organisation can answer the question: ‘Where are we starting from?’
The starting point of the development journey will involve asking staff and management to consider their own and their organisation’s capabilities.

What is involved in the WBS/SEA learning needs assessment?
The LNA process we have developed begins with the completion of an Organisational Health Check by the board and senior staff – this is done online or as a hard copy and confidential. Results are collected and collated to feedback to SIS and your organisation.
The next stage is for each person, within the scope of the LNA, to complete an individual skills assessment and some qualitative ‘Learning Needs’ questions - these can also be completed on-line or as a hard copy and are confidential. A matrix of learning and development is produced for the organisation.

How long will this LNA take to complete for my organisation?
To some extent this depends on the size of the organisation. However, the initial process of agreeing the scope and participants for your LNA can be completed within a week. The organisation can then run its own internal communication regarding the LNA. The documents that the LNA requires will only take an average of 10-minutes for individuals to complete, if delivered on-line.

What happens to the information?
WBS & Partners will write a report for SIS, a copy of which will be made available to the organisation. All information will remain confidential.
Will this impact on the outcome of our application with SIS?
This process will not have a direct impact on the result of your SIS application, as any obvious problems within an organisation would have most likely surfaced during the SIS application process.
The LNA is designed to support organisations, helping them to focus on the immediate, internal impact a successful application to SIS will have. It will build an organisation’s awareness about the readiness of everyone involved to deliver the project goals, or whether there are learning needs critical to the successful delivery of these goals.