Evaluation of EDGE 2007: Stage 1 report for Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire

EDGE 2007 was an eight week transnational entrepreneurship programme developed by Scottish Enterprise (SE) Dunbartonshire to support the development and growth of local businesses; provide young people with access to an intensive personal and professional learning experience; and promote enterprise by providing knowledge and encouragement in take-up of entrepreneurialism. This first stage of the evaluation aimed to assess the extent to which EDGE has met its strategic objectives and analyse its impacts.

The methodology involved the engagement of a number of groups involved in the programme in order to capture their views, including: stakeholder consultations, business consultations and a participants’ survey. Two other similar projects were also used for comparison.

EDGE 2007 met all of its objectives and has the potential to produce a significant return on investment for SE’s contribution, based on current estimates of GVA to 2009. The findings confirm that: it has produced the highest return on investment and potential GVA for the SE contribution; 90% of respondent businesses would participate in the future and 75% would be willing to pay to do so (although it is noted that this is after the event and so raises the question of how many would have been willing to pay prior to a successful experience); and 100% of participants would recommend the programme to others.

In going forward, it is suggested that it is more about minor tweaks to build on success, rather than fundamental changes. It is recommended that the EDGE team continue to closely monitor progress, particularly in reference to the increased scale of the programme and changes impacting partner organisations. In terms of roll-out, it is recommended that a team be set up to formally manage roll-out to ensure consistency and quality of delivery.