Heritage Trade Up

Programme Review

School for Social Entrepreneurs

School for Social Entrepreneurs Heritage Trade Up Programme Evaluation 2022

In the summer of 2022 CJD was engaged to review the HTU for the School for Social Entrepreneurs

SSE HTU Introduction

The Heritage Trade Up Programme is led by the School for Social Entrepreneurs and funded through National Lottery Heritage Fund. This occurrence of the programme is the first year it has operated and is open to heritage organisations throughout the UK, including Northern Ireland.

The key aim is to create a more resilient and entrepreneurial heritage sector. The programme is overseen by a Steering Group that includes the following five organisations/individuals.

Architectural Heritage Fund
Black Cultural Achieves
Heritage Trust Network
An independent artist who covers a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist
Work West

Definitions of heritage organisations used for this programme by SSE (Source SSE webpage)

Community Joined Up Development and Donna Preece Academy partnered together to undertake the evaluation of the School for Social Entrepreneurs’, Heritage Trade Up programme

Outlined within the Project Evaluation Plan were the following processes to ensure we met the target of the identified outputs in the tender brief and the main outcomes for the programme.

Improved entrepreneurial skills to increase traded income and strengthen financial resilience

Engage a wider audience in heritage by expanding their reach and increasing social impact

The business, management and leadership skills needed to innovate, prepare for future challenges and create the change – within their organisations or eternally – that they want to make.

Grow their networks and develop their understanding of how and where to access support.

The Process and Methodology

No.01 - Research

Desktop research was undertaken to understand the best approach to questioning, and to align with the key measurable outcomes of the evaluation

No.02 - Questionnaire

The SSE questionnaires were extensively reviewed to map the progress of the participants, their industries, EDI and any useful patterns that came out

No.03 - Focus Groups

Three online codesign-style focus group workshops were facilitated with the main cohort for honest insight and productive progression suggestions

No.4 - Interviews

One-to-one interviews were undertaken with a variety of attendees, the steering group members and an independent programme facilitator

No.5 - Case Studies

Individual stories about participant experiences. These were recorded at the SSE HTU residential in the Digbeth area of Birmingham in September 2022

No.6 - Reports

In-depth Evaluation Report, Overview Report and a Summary Webpage - all are to display project findings and case study videos in a clear and dynamic way

Case studies

Jonathan Sawyer

Cathedral Development Director | Wells Cathedral | Traditional Built Heritage

Sabina Desir

Producer and Artistic Director | Freedom Road Project | Arts Cultural Heritage

Terry McKeown

Project Manager | SailorTown Regeneration | Community Cultural Heritage

Jacinth Martin

Project Manager | Croydon Supplementary Education Project | Cultural Heritage

Claire Mooney

Creative Programme Officer | Moneydarragh Community Hub | Community Cultural Heritage

Richard Clinton

Chief Executive | Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust | Traditional Built Heritage

What we found…

We asked the participants to share…

“what they would say to someone joining the programme”

Here are the results via a word cloud…

"You will find a network of people who can inspire, challenge and support you wherever you are in your progress as a social enterprise."
"Come with a view of what you want to develop."
"Be prepared to be challenged."
"The opportunity to connect with other like-minded organisations is invaluable."