Kada Research partnered with the University of Sunderland to support an expansive review of employment opportunities and support in the North East of England. The report will support those working in the North East to advocate for funding and support opportunities.

The research highlighted five of the key barriers to sustained employment, productivity and growth in the North East (economic inactivity, young people not in employment, education or training, skills mismatches, sector-specific shortages and structural issues). The research compiled examples of best practice, responses to challenges and possible solutions in order to highlight a pathway into good work for residents in the North East.

Due to our track record in skills and employment research, Kada Research were asked to provide case studies to supplement the research being conducted by the University. Kada Research reviewed and analysed previous reports, drawing together fourteen examples of best practice in employment and skills support across the country. They also highlighted cross-cutting elements of successful employment support, emphasising the key issues that should be taken into consideration when designing future support programmes.

The research concluded that a strategically coordinated approach at a hyper local level is vital to engage with communities who are most in need of support and often ‘seldom heard’. It also highlighted the role of employers in inspiring the next generation, especially in high potential and foundational sectors. The importance of inclusivity and flexibility was emphasised, with the research recognising that a one-size-fits-all approach is often inapplicable to some of the complex circumstances faced by those out of work. Finally, the report highlighted the need for continuous monitoring, evaluation and learning, ensuring that employment and skills programmes are accountable and accessible.

Stoke and North Staffordshire’s ceramics sector is nationally and internationally significant. Rooted in centuries of expertise, the sector not only produces world famous crockery and tableware it underpins supply chains in constructions, energy, health and manufacturing.

The ceramics industry has faced a significant number of challenges in recent years, such as rising energy costs and trade disruption. The number of ceramics firms in Stoke and North Staffordshire have decreased. This has brought risk that if local businesses continue to close or decline, the local sector will lose critical mass and threaten the existence of one of the UK’s most respected, best known and significant industrial clusters. That said there is a shared belief locally and nationally that with the right support the sector can overcome the current risks and economic pressures and prosper.

In order to better understand the health of the sector and what support is needed to reduce the risk of further losses, Kada and research partners Ortus Consulting were commissioned by Stoke-on-Trent Borough Council to review the current performance and resilience of the sector. The commission also included developing a roadmap of the key actions and activities required to support and develop the sector.

This work involved a desk review of relevant local, regional and national policy, a comprehensive local firm and supplier mapping exercise and conducting a performance analysis using TCR and Beauhurst data. This evidence was used to develop a local sector risk assessment, highlighting solvency and financial stability. A consultation programme, focused on operational realities, sector perspectives, challenges and opportunities, was undertaken with interviewees including manufacturers, suppliers, R&D organisations and universities. This was supplemented by a review of best practice within the sector and a review of the most effective cluster organisations.

This research informed a final action plan and roadmap that was co-designed with key stakeholders and ceramics businesses.  The action plan was clearly aligned with Stoke’s Future 100 economic growth prospectus and the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy to ensure that it could be fully utilised to gain governmental support and funding. The key recommendations from this action plan included:

• Lobbying and galvanising collective efforts to develop a consistent and easily digestible statement on the importance of the sector and the key needs.
• Explore funds and investment opportunities, using the data in the report to present feasibility studies and options appraisals.
• Review current careers pathways and development opportunities to ensure local provision meets sectoral demand.
• Maximise internal trade and export potential and investment by identifying international opportunities and developing an inward investment strategy.
• Build a ceramics brand and visitor offering that emphasises heritage, international excellence and immersive visitor experiences.

Kada Research and GC Insights were commissioned by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to shape it’s evidence-led, co-designed Employment and Skills Strategy for the next five years. The Strategy highlights the gaps and opportunities for Rotherham, providing a clear implementation plan to reduce inactivity, raise skills and build a more inclusive and resilient economy.

Rotherham has faced challenges in relation to its employment and skills landscape in recent years. Rising inactivity due to long-term illness, a higher proportion of residents with no qualifications than the national average and increasing numbers of young people who are NEET were identified as key challenges to be addressed through the Strategy.

To develop the Strategy, Kada and GC Insights undertook a comprehensive evaluation combining an in-depth desk review of labour market data, policy frameworks and benchmarking against comparator areas alongside extensive stakeholder engagement. This included consultations and workshops with council officers, employers, education and skills providers, health partners and voluntary and community sector organisations. With an emphasis on co-design, emerging findings, priorities and actions were frequently tested with stakeholders to ensure that Strategy was practical, inclusive and reflected Rotherham.

The strategy identifies three core missions:

1. Enable more residents to progress towards and into good work
   Supporting people to participate in the labour market, overcome barriers to employment and access fair, rewarding jobs with opportunities to progress.
2. Invest in residents’ knowledge and skills
   Ensuring residents can access lifelong learning and develop the skills, qualifications and competencies needed to enter, sustain and progress in work.
3. Secure a resilient, diverse and skilled workforce
   Helping employers attract, develop and retain the talent they need to grow, while building a workforce that can adapt to economic change and future opportunities.

To achieve these, Rotherham can build on its established partnerships and foundations and existing skills and employment support programmes, whilst harnessing the opportunities of Local Trailblazer activity and Connect to Work funding. It was found that residents facing health-related barriers to work, young people, and those with SEND require additional, tailored support. There are opportunities to align growth and better define transmission pathways with growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing and clean energy.

In November 2022, a devolution deal was agreed by the four upper tier councils of Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Derby City Council and Nottingham City Council. The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is led by Mayor Claire Ward, elected as the first Mayor of the East Midlands region in May 2024. With two cities, large towns, major industries, technology strengths and energy innovations, the EMCCA area is transitioning from its industrial legacy to industries of the future.

To inform its thinking and investment innovation, EMCCA required a robust evidence base of its innovation strengths and assets. EMCCA commissioned Kada Research to comprehensively scope out the area’s innovation performance, strengths under priority sectors and new technologies reshaping the local economy by driving growth, creating new industries and transforming existing new ones.

An extensive desk review was undertaken, providing an assessment of the EMCCA area’s innovation economy, the regional innovation investment landscape, its performance in higher education innovation measures and its innovation activity and adoption. Following the establishment of EMCCA, the authority identified four key priority sector areas to focus on in their Corporate Plan. These included: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative and digital and life sciences and MedTech. The study focuses on the innovation strengths and niches in these four priority sector areas. In addition to the desk research, thirty-five regional stakeholders were consulted to inform this study. These engagements provided rich intel on EMCCA strengths from academia, further and higher education providers, industry and cluster leaders and representatives.

The advanced manufacturing sector was found to be a valuable asset in the region, with significant capabilities in aerospace, rail and automotive sectors and the power electronics, machines and drives sub-sectors. There is a large-scale opportunity for growth in the clean energy sector in the EMCCA area, with investment in STEP able to propel the region into the next generation of nuclear energy production and drive new opportunities across the supply chain. The creative and digital sector is growing and has initiatives to build on, including gaming strengths, immersive technologies and design. Life sciences in the EMCCA area have strong pedigree that requires more investment in early-stage companies. There is a rich seam of health and drug discovery work.

The study concludes with twenty tailored recommendations to increase innovation and collaboration which are designed to support research and innovation strengths identified within priority sectors and the region’s outstanding assets, companies, institutions and infrastructure.

If you are thinking about commissioning a similar study, or would like to find out more about this study, talk through an idea or work with us, please get in touch at info@kadaresearch.co.uk.

The UK Agri-Tech Centre serves as an enabling force within the UK’s agricultural innovation landscape, driving Agri-tech innovation and adoption through world-class facilities, expert knowledge and business support. The Centre aims to make the UK’s arable and horticulture industry more efficient, resilient and sustainable, to underpin business growth and support food security.

Kada were commissioned by the UK Agri-Tech Centre to carry out research with experts and key opinion leaders to look at how innovation and its adoption in the UK’s arable and horticultural sectors will transform production systems over the next 10 years, combining cutting-edge technology with resilient practices.

The Kada team carried out a rapid evidence review to identify emerging trends and future areas of innovation in addition to 18 scoping interviews with sector experts from across the UK’s Agri-Tech industries to capture various views around short- and long-term innovation needs and opportunities. The team also facilitated three workshops to discuss low and high impact needs and opportunities.

The final report identified three areas of focus for future opportunities:

• Climate change: Advancements in biotechnology and specifically gene-editing, presents opportunities to build more climate-resilient crops for the future, alongside sustainable inputs to help conventional crops cope with biotic stresses.
• Automation and digital technologies: Further adoption of autonomous machinery, robotics and drones will be required to drive efficiency gains. Precision farming could be accelerated by integration with better sensor data, connectivity and crucially AI technology. Together these would help future farmers make sense of highly variable and disparate data in real-time, for better decision making leading to more positive outcomes and impact.
• New production methods: Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) has the potential to contribute an extra £300 million in fruit and vegetable production, helping strengthen food security and sector resilience to global challenges. Alongside new production systems there are also opportunities for new crops, both within a CEA and wider arable setting.

The report also outlines four innovation pathways setting out a short, medium and long-term vision for the arable, horticulture, viticulture and other diversified activities for the next 10 years;

• Intelligent and data-driven agriculture

1. In the short term: focus on improving deployment and use of advanced Internet of Things sensors, alongside examining AI-powered decision- making tools in precision agriculture.
2. In the medium term: scale robotics and integrate more advanced AI applications across diverse farming systems and landscapes.
3. The long-term vision includes predictive modelling and digital twins to enable automated and adaptable decision making.

• Climate resilience and biotechnology

1. Short term: improve integration of sensor technologies with biological approaches to pest and disease management.
2. Medium term: focus on scaling new novel solutions such as bacteriophages, RNA interference and microbiome engineering approaches.
3. Longer term: develop dynamic plant breeding platforms for resilient traits and durable resistance to pests and diseases.

• Regenerative farming and Agri-tech

1. Short term: accelerate, scale and optimise precision technologies, within existing systems, while examining functional changes in the soil microbiome and carbon sequestration.
2. Medium term: build soil functionality through bio-based solutions and inputs, alongside practices such as polyculture and minimum or no-till systems.
3. Longer term, these approaches can be brought together into a new toolkit that integrates biological systems and technologies to support productivity, resilience and improve ecosystem services.

• New and diversified production systems

1. Short term: enhance year-round productivity and resource use efficiency by applying circular systems in CEA production.
2. Medium term: augment this with tailored high-performance varieties and expand the range of commercially viable crops within CEA.
3. Longer term, this will diversify urban-rural food production systems, including new crops for protein, fibre, pharmaceuticals and other green factory purposes.

You can read the report (titled The future of arable and horticulture innovation) in full on the UK Agri-Tech Centres website here: https://ukagritechcentre.com/news-insights/reports-and-brochures/

If you would like to work with us, talk through an idea or hear about this work you can contact us at info@kadaresearch.co.uk

In 2025, Rotherham became the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture, an initiative that aims to celebrate young people and their creativity. It provided young people in Rotherham with a variety of opportunities to take part in culture with a focus upon local pride and creative skills. As part of this award, over the course of 2025, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council ran a variety of town centre events and festivals, ranging from Christmas Light Switch ons to celebrations of nature and sustainability.

Kada Research were commissioned by the Council to evaluate these events and conducted seven event evaluations across the course of the year, each commissioned and evaluated separately.

The events evaluated were primarily family-oriented with an emphasis on cultural and creative activities and performances and included:

• Signals Festival Evaluation (February 2025) – Centred around promoting young musical talent in Rotherham.
• Town Centre Events (March 2025) – Externally run events occurring weekly in Rotherham Town Centre in March 2025, offering a range of cultural, music and sport activities.
• Roots Festival (March 2025) – A festival celebrating nature and sustainability, consisting of a carnival procession of local community groups.
• WOW Festival (May 2025) – A festival celebrating women, girls, trans, and non-binary communities.
• UPLIFT Festival (July-August 2025) – An urban sport and art festival spread across three days in the summer.
• Plug in and Play Festival (October 2025) – Centred around encouraging children and families to play interactive, immersive and engaging games.
• Christmas Lights Switch-on Event (November 2025) – A town centre Christmas Light Switch-on featuring seasonal entertainment and activities.

The evaluations aimed to assess the impact of the events including the perceptions of was attendees, stakeholders, and local businesses. Over 600 responses were received from attendees via in-person and online surveys. Numerous stakeholder interviews were conducted with both event delivery partners and artists involved in the events. Consultations were also conducted with local businesses, that were involved with or impacted by the events. Kada’s primary research captured information on the following:

• The age profiles, social demographics, and travel methods of attendees.
• How people found out about the events and whether they had been before.
• Attendees spend and economic impact.
• Overall festival experience.
• Suggested improvements/changes for future events.
• Young person feedback on perceptions of the events and Rotherham town centre.
• Stakeholder views on event delivery, successes, and challenges.
• Local businesses perceptions of the events and the impacts they have on high-street businesses.

Events frequently received a 90%+ satisfaction rate, and attendees often said they were likely to attend similar events. In addition to the presentation of the primary research findings Kada produced an economic impact assessment for each event, exploring the potential local economic impacts and well-being benefits generated through each event. When combining the total estimated economic benefits of each event, the seven events produced an estimated £1.6 million of benefits.

The evaluations demonstrated that town centre events in Rotherham are building a mix of retained visitors and attracting new visitors and concluded with a set of recommendations relating to delivery, impact, and future, to help the council to continue to deliver a programme of successful and growing events.

Education and access to high skilled training is a key driver of social mobility. Yet, there must also be the economic opportunities to utilise these skills and unlock higher wages. The low-skilled and low-growth economy of Wakefield provides shareable lessons for many de-industrial cities and demonstrates the importance of place-based understanding and responses.

The Wakefield Futures Commission brought together expertise in education, business leadership, public policy and employment and launched in December 2024. The Commission investigated the current and future economic and educational landscape in relation to higher-level skills, to identify barriers to participation, and to consider how to drive change in Wakefield. The Wakefield Futures Commissions work culminated in an evidence-based report with clear recommendations geared around three propositions: a commitment to change, a vision for innovation, and a coherent framework for change. The report was launched in September 2025 and welcomed by local leaders; it can be found here: Wakefield Futures Report – Wakefield Council

Kada Research supported the Commission including extensive primary and secondary research, evidence sessions, and secretariat support.

The research process included:

• A resident survey with nearly 800 responses
• Focus groups and interviews with young people, learners, and people out of work who live in Wakefield
• Interviews with stakeholders and local employers
• Extensive secondary research including data analysis and desk review

The research found:

• Wakefield’s recent economic growth has been driven by low-skilled industries. Increasing productivity levels in Wakefield to the West Yorkshire average would see an extra £533 million of GVA to the local economy.
• Wakefield’s economic strengths include advanced manufacturing, creative and cultural industries, logistics, and renewable energy, green construction, and the decarbonisation of the wider economy.
• Data analysis showed qualification levels within Wakefield’s adult population were significantly under national and regional averages.
• The resident survey found a strong appetite for learning from Wakefield residents, as well as a strong belief in the importance of education for improving life chances and increasing opportunities.

The final report presented bold solutions to tackle Wakefield’s low skilled, low productivity, and low wage economy. It outlined that to unlock Wakefield’s potential; a coherent and coordinated plan is needed. Changing the economy, employment and skill levels in Wakefield involves growing higher-skill employment and simultaneously building skill levels. The recommendations included the development of the ‘Wakefield Futures Centre’ which will lead innovation in the economy, support the development of skills in future-facing industries and encourage innovative delivery models which allow a wider range of people to access opportunities.

If you would like to work with us, talk through an idea or hear about this work you can contact us at sophie@kadaresearch.co.uk

Kada Research were commissioned by the University of Huddersfield in June 2024 to undertake an evaluation of their £42.2m Health Innovation programme. The programme, utilising £3.8 million of UKSPF funds, aimed to stimulate innovation around health and wellbeing within West Yorkshire’s business ecosystem.

The programme was delivered between September 2023 and March 2025, establishing a Health & Wellbeing Innovation Centre that provided a suite of business support initiatives, events, mentoring, proof-of-concept grants as well as a unique Healthtech makerspace and visualisation suite offering access to bespoke equipment and facilities. Following the conclusion of the business support element in March 2025, 385 businesses had been supported and following the end of UKSPF funding activity has continued in the form of an incubator programme funded through the West Yorkshire Investment Zone.

Kada’s evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach to assess the programme’ s effectiveness in delivering against the four objectives outlined within the initial UKSPF application. The programme evidenced strong performance with all outputs met or exceeded as a result of the high levels of engagement, effective delivery mechanisms and strong strategic partnerships cultivated with partners.

In respect to the economic impact, over the appraisal period the business support element of the Health Innovation programme generated a Net Present Value (NPV) of £5.41m. With total UKSPF revenue expenditure, in addition to public sector funding, the NPV impact represents a benefit cost ratio of 4.2:1.

There were other notable impacts. The development of the Innovation Centre has boosted local perceptions of Huddersfield and increasing pride of place and the programme is expected to increase capacity and boost innovation within the NHS more widely, resulting in improved and faster patient care. Without the UKSPF funding, connections between local businesses and the NHS likely would not have been established.

If you are thinking about commissioning an evaluation study or if you would like to talk through an idea or hear about this work, you can contact us at info@kadaresearch.co.uk.

Kada Research were commissioned by Decerna in January 2025 to undertake an evaluation of their two UKSPF funded business support programmes, the Tees Valley Net Zero (TVNZ) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) programmes.

Across 2023 and 2024 Decerna were awarded approximately £2.5m in UKSPF funds to deliver the two business support programmes. The Tees Valley Net Zero (TVNZ) programme provided comprehensive support to businesses across Tees Valley, enabling them to transition towards net zero by offering tailored advice, practical tools, and grant funding. The Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) programme addressed the growing importance of environmental accountability in supply chains by helping SMEs obtain EPD certifications and develop sustainability capabilities. Decerna’s support helps companies develop EPDs and as such facilitates access new markets, creating commercial benefits for the companies supported.

Kada’s evaluation focused on assessing the success of the two programmes in respect to their contracted targets and the alignment with UKSPF priorities whilst incorporating a comparative analysis with previous similar ERDF projects. The evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach drawing on a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess the effectiveness of delivery processes and evidence the programme’s impact.

The two programmes evidenced strong performance, meeting or exceeding all contracted targets. From the perspectives of stakeholders the programme is widely seen as addressing a critical gap in business support for net zero initiatives and displayed a strong alignment between the programme and local, sub-regional, and national policies. The two programmes combined generated a Net Present Value (NPV) of £2.41m with a return on investment of 1.2:1.

The evaluation also highlighted some wider and unexpected benefits including increased networking and collaboration and the way in which sustainability became a selling point for businesses. In addition to the creation of opportunities for the fostering of a more engaged local business community some participants found that after engaging with the programme, they were better positioned to attract clients and contracts that required sustainability commitments. The evaluation built on these lessons learnt to suggest a series of recommendations to take forward.

If you are thinking about commissioning an evaluation study or if you would like to talk through an idea or hear about this work, you can contact us at info@kadaresearch.co.uk.

Kada Research were commissioned by Bradford Council to conduct an evaluation of a suite of projects under their Hyper Local UKSPF Programme. The programme received £7.88 million in UKSPF funding, consisted of 49 individual projects across all five West Yorkshire local authority areas and took a bespoke approach to support delivery based on local community needs.

The evaluation focused on 10 varied projects, ranging from the creation of new green spaces in inner city areas, youth engagement across diverse communities, one-to-one enterprise support and supporting young adults who face barriers to accessing work. The method centred on a theory-based approach, drawing on a range of qualitative and quantitative research sources to assess the extent to which the programme had delivered appropriate value for money interventions, and which should be supported in the event of future funding.

The evaluation concluded that, overall, the programme has performed strongly against its contracted output targets in particular evidencing strong performance via projects under the  people and skills investment priority. Delivery stakeholders also cited several wider benefits, such as health and wellbeing support for young people in local communities, support for the development of social enterprises, community cohesion as a result of the development of green spaces.

The majority of Hyper Local activity has given rise to community, wellbeing and social benefits, rather than directly generating jobs or economic impacts. The evaluation process included a review of social benefits that have been achieved and their monetary value. The benefits for which an estimate has been made include public realm created or improved, volunteering opportunities supported, people sustaining engagement with a voluntary or local organisation and people gaining qualifications, licences or skills

Based on the monitoring data available and using benchmark data to fill data gaps, the combined value of the net economic and social benefits of the Hyper Local programme is estimated to be £15.6m. This compares to total expenditure of £8.1m. An estimate of the programme’s Return on Investment (ROI) is therefore 1.9:1, i.e. each £1.00 of public investment is estimated to generate £1.90 of economic and social value.

There were some lessons learnt around the programme’s governance, linkages between projects, and shortened timelines. The evaluation built on these lessons to suggest a series of practical and actionable recommendations to take forward.

If you are thinking about commissioning an evaluation study or if you would like to talk through an idea or hear about this work, you can contact us at info@kadaresearch.co.uk.