About the
soul project
The SOUL Project grew out of a need
identified by the Norfolk voluntary and
community sector to evidence the progression
of their clients in relation to informal
learning. This is learning which does not
lead to a recognised qualification and takes
place in a wide variety of settings. For the
purposes of the project, the term includes
personal development initiatives and
situations where an individual might not
even appreciate at the time that they are
learning. Sector groups active in this area
could point anecdotally to considerable
gains by clients in terms of ‘soft’
outcomes, such as increased confidence and
self esteem, but there was a need for an
effective system to provide evidence of the
learning taking place. Concern was expressed
over the tendency for funding to be
concentrated on ‘hard’ outcomes, such as
formal or accredited learning opportunities
and access to paid employment. More
recently, funding organisations such as The
Big Lottery Fund have increasingly
recognised that ‘hard’ outcomes do not give
a complete picture of a client or learner’s
progress and therefore of a project’s
success. There is, in consequence, a growing
requirement that groups receiving funding
should provide evidence of ‘soft’ outcomes
to complement ‘hard’ data.
A group of voluntary organisations in
Norfolk, headed by Norwich and Norfolk
Voluntary Services, therefore took the initiative of
devising a research project with The
Research Centre, City College Norwich, to
achieve a number of objectives, one of which
was the development of a system to monitor
and measure progression in ‘soft’ outcomes.
The SOUL Project received funding from The
Big Lottery Fund (formerly the Community
Fund) and commenced in September 2003,
continuing to the end of February 2006.
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information about Norwich
and Norfolk voluntary services
Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services (NVS)
is a major local development agency. They
work to promote and develop volunteering and
the work of voluntary organisations, thereby
improving the health and wellbeing of people
in Norfolk.
NVS is an independent voluntary
organisation, registered as a charity, with
an annually elected Management Committee.
From small beginnings in 1969, NVS has grown
to employ nearly 70 staff in Norwich and
around Norfolk. Their core funders include
Primary Care Trusts in Norfolk and Norfolk
County Council.
Website:
http://www.nvs.org.uk
Telephone: 01603 614474 - E-mail:
admin@nvs.org.uk
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Information
about the research
centre, city college Norwich
The Research Centre was established in 1996
in the Faculty for Higher Education at City College Norwich
and is thought to be the largest research
centre in this sector. It is an exempt
charity as defined by the 1992 Further &
Higher Education Act.
The Research Centre uses an eclectic range
of qualitative and quantitative research
methodologies, specialising in independent
evaluation, social and educational research,
including issues relating to the phenomenon
of HE in FE. In the last two years The
Research Centre has successfully bid for
project funding totalling approximately
£400,000 and since 1998 has had a funding
income of approximately £1.5 million. It
has a strong record of successfully
completed projects in both the public and
private sectors, on a local, national and
international basis.
Website:
http://www.theresearchcentre.co.uk
Telephone: 01603 773364 - E-mail:
theresearchcentre@ccn.ac.uk
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