VC Train is a consortium made up of 120 third sector organizations (TSOs). It is based in South Yorkshire, which happened to be in great lack of quality programs able to attract, educate, and retain disadvantaged and underprivileged youth and adults. Their goal was to secure contracts with the Learning Skills Council (LSC) to deliver post 16 learning and skills programs.
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The Competition
Though there were about 125 TSOs currently operating in South Yorkshire, only six were receiving direct mainstream funding from LSC. This presented a clear and immediate need for mainstream funding within the sector. VC Train was founded in 2000, then incorporated. It became a charity aimed at assisting marginalized and disadvantaged people to achieve education and skills on par with general society.
LSC’s Buying Criteria
LSC only considers purchasing contracts which provide:
- High participation among the most underprivileged
- Improvement in basic adult literacy and numeracy skills
- Increase the skills and capabilities of the workforce
- Strengthen learning skills of residents and professionals to assist in renewing neighborhoods
The marketing plan developed by VC Train has to demonstrate their ability to provide these things.
VC Train’s Plan
The consortium developed a marketing strategy to demonstrate these abilities in order to garner contracts to subcontract to its 120 TSOs. They created a marketing strategy that consisted of six components:
- Assessing the buying criteria of LSC
- Providing evidence of a real need for the services
- A marketing mix
- A statement of unique selling points (USPs)
- A list of market targets
- A forecast of the market share they could attain
The evidence they presented were the facts that:
- 25 percent of adults in South Yorkshire had very low literacy and numeracy skills
- There was a lack of evidence that any plans were in place to meet the needs of post 16 citizens
- The learning infrastructure in South Yorkshire varied greatly in quality
- There were obvious learning gaps among ethnic groups, genders, ages, and the disabled
- Adults in South Yorkshire had low participation rates in qualified learning programs
The marketing mix VC Train used included product, price, promotion, and place. The products proposed were broken into four categories: first rung provision, basic skills, neighborhood renewal skills, and workforce development (which included both personal and employability skills).
The price was based on how much it cost to educate each person per hour. The promotion consisted of developing a prospectus of learning opportunities in the third sector across the South Yorkshire area.
In regards to place, VC Train planned to use the facilities at the disposal of their 120 TSOs. Regarding USPs, VC Train highlighted their ability to reach and engage learners who are disadvantaged or not inclined to participate.
The Results
VC Train was able to secure five mainstream contracts with LSC, raise the profits of their VCTs and the entire VCT sector. Additionally, they were able to present a clear offer and gain strength and influence in the marketplace.
Since 2002, VC Train has worked with 23,000 people, generated 33,000 training periods, and provided 3.5 million hours of high quality, tailored learning sessions to the most deprived citizens of South Yorkshire. [/show_to]
