Delivering
targeted outcomes
Explore our portfolio of success stories and see how our partnership has delivered targeted outcomes across a range of research and evaluation capabilities.
Capabilities featured: Evaluation & Reviews
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Cyber Essentials Process Evaluation
Pye Tait undertook an important process evaluation for DSIT. This was supplemented by a feasibility study for a subsequent impact evaluation. The findings aimed to discover whether the current implementation approach was working, and the scheme is meeting its objectives.
CE was developed to help organisations of all sizes defend against the most common cyber threats.It provides reassurance to organisations and their customers that systems are secure from basic cyber-attacks.
Our evaluation methodology comprised the following main components:
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Rapid desk research to understand relevant policy, developments and existing research and evaluation findings,
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Qualitative interviews with 12 strategic stakeholders closely involved with the CE scheme,
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Online surveys of Certification Bodies, current CE users and lapsed CE users, and
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A telephone survey of organisations that had never held CE.
Capabilities featured: Skills and Training Research
Medical Research Council (MRC) and Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Skills Priority Review
In spring 2023, Pye Tait Consulting was jointly commissioned by two research councils, MRC and BBSRC (part of the UK Research & Innovation family) to identify skills gaps in UK life sciences to understand the future landscape for the sector. The skills priority review focused on five ‘skills gaps clusters’ including digital skills, data science skills, interdisciplinarity, knowledge exchange and business and compliance skills, and soft skills.
The research examined the current state of skills gaps in the UK across these skills gaps clusters, exploring variation by sector and job role, to determine what the future landscape of skills demand and supply in life science might look like in the context of continuously changing skills needs in the next ten years. The study also examined training programmes and initiatives targeting skills gaps clusters, to identify what works well or could be improved.
Our research methodology comprised the following components:
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desk research of secondary sources
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an online survey of employers of life sciences stakeholders
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qualitative research comprising three roundtable discussions plus depth interviews.
Drawing together all the evidence from this review, we set out suggestions for how stakeholders across the UK life sciences sector may wish to respond. MRC and BBSRC is currently using these suggested actions to meaningfully take forward the findings in
collaboration with key stakeholders.
Our report will be published in due course.
Capabilities featured: Labour Market Intelligence
The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) – Labour Market Intelligence Refresh
In spring 2023, we undertook a Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) study in the electrotechnical sector for The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP). This study sought to provide an updated picture of the sector in the wake of significant changes in the past few years (including the Covid-19 pandemic, and the continuing impact of EU Exit, among others). This research provided refreshed intelligence to update LMI gathered in our previous studies in 2018/19 and 2020. The research provided an up-to-date estimate of the size and demographic make-up of the sector’s workforce, examined challenges employers face relating to recruitment and retention, and explored current and future skills requirements, including the future of the sector with regard to technological change and the Net Zero agenda.
Our research methodology comprised the following components:
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desk research involving analysis of official statistics to provide an up-to-date estimate on the size and demography of the sector’s workforce
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a telephone survey of electrotechnical employers
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qualitative depth interviews with employers
We drew the quantitative and qualitative strands together to relay a clear narrative of the key challenges faced by the industry. In our national (UK-wide) report, we presented a series of recommendations for TESP’s consideration to tackle the two biggest challenges the industry faces: attracting a sufficient number if high-quality recruits, and upskilling the workforce to meet changing technological needs. We also produced a series of 12 reports for each devolved nation and English region, as well as a UK-level infographic. NET and TESP are using the findings to inform ongoing sector support for skills and training, and retention and recruitment.
Our infographic can be found here.
Capabilities featured: Consultation Analysis
Office for Students, Regulating equality of opportunity in English higher education: Consultation Analysis
During the winter of 2022/23 Pye Tait Consulting undertook a consultation analysis of behalf of the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator for Higher Education in England.
The OfS had gathered feedback on its proposals relating to regulation of equality of opportunity in English higher education, including its regulation of access and participation plans, but also its wider powers and duties in this arena.
The aim of our research was to conduct an objective and comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis, to identify and categorise themes and focus areas, and to report on the findings. A total of 169 valid responses were received (inc. offline/free-format responses). We developed a coding framework for analysis of qualitative responses – working with the OfS to finalise this – which we used to identify frequency of themes and to explore any trends by respondent sub-group. Quantitative questions were analysed in our professional survey software enabling cross-tabulation analysis to compare responses by sub-group.
The findings directly informed the OfS’s decision-making as it finalised its proposals for roll-out in the sector on the back of the feedback gathered.
Capabilities featured: Labour Market Intelligence
Suffolk Growth Partnership, Technical Skills Legacy for Norfolk & Suffolk – 2022 Refresh
Pye Tait Consulting recently refreshed the Technical Skills Legacy report (originally produced for the Suffolk Growth Partnership by us in 2019) to provide vital evidence for partners in the region as they develop technical skills plans. These are used to ensure existing and planned training meets the needs of businesses and local communities. The refresh updated the model we developed in 2019 and tested our assumptions and forecasts.
To conduct this, we:
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Facilitated primary research through workshops with stakeholders, interviews with training providers (8) and employers (28), and conducted four nominal groups.
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Analysed and reviewed numerous factors and reports to assess their impact on skills, such as conducting a labour force review, reviewing regional impacts of international events and the impacts of revised UK energy policy (as of March 2022) to illustrate and evaluate the current business climate.
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Revisited and revised the highly detailed future skills needs forecasts using statistical modelling and detailed skills research
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Identified key infrastructure projects and created skills files for the required technical skills.
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Described in detail skills priorities for local training requirements and policy using the revised primary and secondary research findings.
We produced an interactive summary PowerPoint that allows users to freely navigate content, as well as 15 individual skills files with tailored in-depth analysis which are now published and used by several regional partners and are available to view here.