Working for Families Phase 1 Evaluation 2004-2006 Executive Summary.

This report presents an evaluation of Phase 1 of the Working for Families Fund (WFF) covering 2004-06. WFF was established to invest in new initiatives to improve the employability of parents who have difficulties in participating in the labour market, specifically in employment, education or training. The Fund supported these parents through helping them find sustainable childcare solutions and through providing or accessing other relevant employability-related services. In rural areas, barriers created by poor transport, limited services and the lack of a critical mass of clients were also particularly important. WFF contributes to the Scottish Executive’s Closing the Opportunity Gap approach to tackling poverty and disadvantage, by improving rates of employment and economic activity, and to its commitment to eradicating child poverty within a generation.

Work on the Move: mobile and nomadic working methodologies.

‘Work on the move’ is a design, process-driven methodology, which uses multiple locations within an outdoors setting and movement between locations, all of which function as learning places, confined to a specified time period. Between 2012 and 2015, a team of international Higher Education product design educators (all members of Carousel, a co-operation of Erasmus members in Zwolle, Edinburgh, Nantes, Rome, Kortrijk and Oslo), industry professionals and product design students developed and tested four case studies. Each case study was conducted in a different international location and was constructed with a different focus, to help define and refine a definitive working methodology. ‘Work on the move’ explores the influence of ‘place’ upon design, in terms of the impact it has on productivity and creative problem-solving, when working away from the traditional studio/office-based environment. It also explores the significance of shared place, when working directly with a client in situ, and experiencing the place-based influences upon their businesses. While identifying location as part of the design process, the study also seeks to understand the effects of time restriction and working in transit upon creativity and productivity, within the context of specific projects.