how to / create centres / business plan / research What is Market Research? There are two main types of research: desk research or secondary research where you look at information that has already been published, such as reports, statistics, census information, newspaper articles, information from journals or directories. field research, or primary research - which means you ask people in your community what they want. You can do this in public meetings, in the street with a tape recorder or questions on a clip board, over the telephone, or by distributing a written sheet where people have to tick boxes. Whatever method you use it's a good idea to have a list of questions or questionnaire Why Market Research? A key factor in obtaining funding is to be able to demonstrate that you have asked questions among the people that matter, and identified that there is a need and demand for the facilities and services you are offering. You will need to find out information about the people you want to help (your client group or target group), costs and competitors. The ICT Learning Centre funding is specifically designed to meet the needs of particular target groups who have low or no ICT skills and who do not have access to ICT equipment at their home or work. (see page 9 of the NOF/DfEE application guide). - people who need help with basic skills - lone parents - People from ethnic minorities - Unemployed people, - People with disabilities - People who are over 60 and are not involved in learning activities You will need to find out about these target groups in your area, what barriers they have which prevent them from gaining new skills. Barriers can include cost, access, transport, childcare, confidence and many other barriers. You will also need to find out what skills employers are looking for. You will need to find out about your competitors and assess how much of a threat they are. You can draw up a table to look at their strengths and weaknesses, are there opportunities for your project to do better than they do? Can you turn their weaknesses into your strengths? You may decide that instead of regarding them as competitors you can work in partnership with them to provide a better service to the target client groups. The proposed project must add to the provision which is currently available in your area and Section 7.3 asks you to state how your project will support or complement the existing provision in your area. Where to get information for Desk Research The library Your Local Council - ask for census figures, Local Authority Annual Reports or Strategic Plans, publications from IT for ALL or other support programmes for Information Technology. There are also useful web-links on this site. From the guidance documents funders give you A summary of some relevant, published research is given on pages 42-48 of the NOF/DfEE application guide. This will provide you with background information and you can use this information to raise issues with your target client groups. Desk research will enable you to make factual statements. Click here for some examples. How to do Field Research This can be done in a number of ways, for example, besides using a questionnaire you might hold a public meeting to discuss proposals with the local community and to find out what they need. This could include group feedback and participation. You might interview key local people and organisations, for example groups offering complementary training or support, statutory bodies, Lifelong Learning Partnerships, community or voluntary groups. You could ask local businesses about what skills they would like employees to have and you could talk to other key people in the area. You might telephone people, or make audio recordings. For DfEE or NOF funding you will need to explain how you identified the need for your project and who you talked to in secton 7.2 of the application form. For some ideas on how to analyse a questionnaire and show what you have found click here how to / create centres / business plan / research