Events|Training
An introductory course designed to support those working on local economic growth policies, focusing on impact evaluation
This introductory course focuses on impact evaluation – where we use a counterfactual to understand what impact your project or programme had on participants. For example, it can help you understand whether your business support programme helped participating businesses grow turnover or employment – or if that would have happened anyway.
If you’re considering running a trial, need to commission a consultant to look at your programme’s impact, or just want to understand the impact evaluations that others are doing, this is the course for you. It’s an introductory course for policymakers (or those who advise them) that have no or limited experience of impact evaluation.
It is designed to support those working on local economic growth policies (such as business support, skills development or infrastructure investment) within local authorities, combined authorities, local enterprise partnerships, central government and other economic development organisations.
The course will help you to:
- Understand what impact evaluation is, why it is important and its role in the policy cycle.
- Develop policies and programmes that can be evaluated robustly.
- Select an appropriate control group for your evaluation and reduce selection bias.
- Understand the practical steps involved in undertaking an impact evaluation and develop an evaluation plan.
- Become a better commissioner of evaluation.
The course will be delivered by the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth and led by Victoria Sutherland, Head of Evidence at What Works Growth.
