Social Return on Investment Evaluations on Food and Fibre Work-Based Learning Programmes

Originator/Sponsor: MPI

Portfolio Managers: Fiona Windle

Status: Completed

Delivery date: March 2025

Lead Agency/Service Provider: Allen + Clark and Infometrics

Introduction/Background:

Given the current sustainable funding challenges faced by some food and fibre work-based programmes which develop work-ready trainees, a Social Return on Investment (SROI) on a selection of five programmes was required to inform future investment.

Objectives:

The purpose of undertaking the evaluations was to understand the impact that each programme has on participants with a particular focus on:

  • Outcomes proven or reasonably assumed to be related to effective pastoral care.
  • Influence in improving food and fibre workforce retention, and therefore the SROI for New Zealand for every dollar invested in food and fibre work-based study programme.
  • Characteristics of each programme that help explain the causal relationship across the collection of programmes resulting in improved social return on investment.
  • Based on the above, explore if any elements of the identified programmes would improve the standard ITO model and/or if any elements of the standard ITO model would improve the programmes.
  • Creation of a report that would inform the government on future investment decisions to support such programmes

The final report can be viewed here.

The Executive Summary can be viewed here.

The infographic can be viewed here.

The above information was current as at 27 March 2025.