RCU - Research and Consultancy in Education

We work for a wide range of organisations in the public sector, mainly. Historically, our focus has been on the post-16 education sector where we have carried out assignments for both individual providers such as colleges or local authorities but we have also done research on behalf of Awarding Bodies and national government departments.

Most organisations talk about quality assurance as a differentiator. By definition, if most people argue they are different because of their quality, the statement is out of line with the facts. Sure, we achieved the international standard for market research organisations (ISO 20252) as one of the first in the UK to do so and also have the stringent Data security standard (ISO 27001). The key thing about ourselves is that all employees are shareholders. There aren't many organisations where you find yourself speaking to someone who actually owns the business. That gives us a special perspective and we believe this a genuine  difference which clients notice.

Originally, it stood for Responsive College Unit. In the mid 1980's there was an initiative to make colleges more responsive to their local communities. That is where we started. Since then we've continued to do work in the education sector but have widened our client base and our range of services considerably since those early days.

It's a rigorous standard about how we, as individuals and as an organisation, handle data (of all sorts, not just data on computers) to ensure it is safe from theft, loss or corruption.

It is the benchmark international standard for market research organisations and you should make sure that whoever carries out research on your behalf has been assessed against this standard. RCU was one of the first UK organisations to achieve the standard and it ensures the right things happen at each stage of a research project.

Our base is in the North West, but our client base is all around the UK.

We first started out in the mid-eighties and became a private company in the early 1990's.

We can provide you with insight into what your learners think, what local residents want, what your partners and senior stakeholders, as well as your staff, think of you. Our ability to analyse learner records and identify your market share and trends in uptake over recent years my be of interest in shaping your curriculum planning. those are some of the tools we can use. Ultimately, we would put together a bespoke package to meet the information needs you have.

We can help to answer that question, whether at your local level of regionally or nationally.

We have carried out several projects which have identified the flows of people into and out of an area and, in the context of education, what people have been travelling into and out of the area to study.

In the education sector, this question is one which everyone has to confront. We can help you to calculate the different permutations and have also put a modeling tool on our site which you may find useful.

We have been doing this in our core market - post-16 education - for a number of years. We have shown providers what their share of learners (clients) in their catchment area was and how many local residents were going to someone else. That can be done at local, regional or national level. In the post-16 education sector, we were able to highlight the market share of individual course types and qualifications.

Just as we have been able to analyse the market share of providers in the post-16 education sector, we are able to show what the volume of uptake has been for any subject you are interested in developing and to highlight the characteristics of people who've taken that course. We can also identify the volumes of that type of person within your locality so you can estimate how many learners you might be able to capture.

The obvious but rather vague-sounding answer is 'that depends'. However, we will talk to you about what you need and the most cost-effective way of getting a result. We'd be happy to talk to you and then to give you a quote for the approaches we agree are the best for you in your situation. Contact us at enquiries@rcu.co.uk

Working with potential clients to clarify what it is that they need to know and the best way of tackling it are the starting point of many of our projects. Occasionally, we are sent a clear specification of what is needed etc - but that is hardly the norm. As a result, we're happy to talk to you and work out the questions you need answering and then, if you like, we'll give you a quote for carrying out the work Simply get in touch with us: enquiries@rcu.co.uk

We are always happy to discuss with potential clients what they want and the most cost-effective way of getting a result for them. Once we start a project, we have tried and tested project management methods so we ensure there are no overruns on cost. We  will also be in touch with you to give regular updates, so we can find 'workarounds' if things don't go exactly as intended.

Qualitative research is basically about finding out whether an issue is 'present' or not and quantitative research is about establishing the extent to which an issue is present or not.

Yes. We can carry out competitor analysis, for example. We can identify your market share and that of your competitors. In the education sector, we are not allowed to reveal the market size of a specific, named competitor but we can show you where you stand and how others, collectively, are doing.

We'd be happy to discuss that option with you. It depends on which elements of the research package and, for example, if there are any issues relating to the Market Research Society Code of Conduct or the Data Security standard (ISO 27001) which would require specific training or procedures to be in place.

Have a look at our video clip on that or contact us and one of our quantitative research specialists will be happy to help you.

Questionnaires aren't easy - check out our video clip for some pointers but remember also to consider whether you actually need to carry out a survey and don't forget to pay attention to the other steps in carrying out a survey - designing the questionnaire tends to become the focus of attention but there are many more things to bear in mind, too.

Above all, it can help by providing an evidence-base for decision-making. Beyond that it can identify customer insight, market trends, new opportunities, ways of operating your business more effectively and efficiently - so it can help you to save money, too.

Because we carry out assignments for a range of different clients, including government departments, we are used to accommodating client's concerns about sensitive issues and information. The market research standard ISO 20252 and the Data Security standard ISO 27001 both underpin everything we do and ensure client and commercial confidentiality are assured.

The starting point is to work out what it is you need to know. That's not as easy as it sounds so our starting point is frequently to discuss this with a potential clients and then to look at the best ways of tackling the process. After that we will submit a quote, with clear costing and timelines and outcomes etc. That's the process.

Yes and if, at any stage, we believe the question we have agreed cannot be answered o the process is not going to deliver the result expected, we will talk to you about what to do next. That happens at the earliest opportunity as your project manager will be in regular contact with you.

It varies. Some projects can be set up and completed within a couple of weeks, others will take longer to set up and may also need to run over a longer period of time, for example.

If you mean 'can we promote our services to the people RCU is researching on your behalf?', the answer is NO. Research must be kept quite distinct from canvassing.

You can, but you are not allowed to take an active part or take any notes.

It varies. Some projects can be set up and completed within a couple of weeks, others will take longer to set up and may also need to run over a longer period of time, for example.

If you mean 'can we promote our services to the people RCU is researching on your behalf?', the answer is NO. Research must be kept quite distinct from canvassing.

You can, but you are not allowed to take an active part or take any notes.

Yes, that's legitimate market research.

Only if they expressly give us their permission to do so.

All members of staff are co-owners of the company.