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Digital marketing covers everything from SEO and content marketing to email campaigns, social media strategy, and video marketing too.

With new digital marketing companies popping up left and right offering a bit of everything (and truly speaking to no one), it’s no surprise you’re having a hard time finding the right one.

The best thing to do is narrow down your options by bypassing those digital marketing companies trying to do too many things at once.

Why? Because true highly-niched experts are the best way to get the results you want (and deserve) for your business.

But, it’s not always easy to find those experts when you need them.

So, I put together a list of the top digital marketing companies who genuinely excel at what they do to help you find the right fit for your business depending on what you need.

Then, we’re going to talk about what makes them great and what to expect when working with them.

Let’s get started!

The 6 top digital marketing companies in the world

Digital marketing can be done from anywhere in the world.

So, it doesn’t matter if you’re living in New York and want to work with a company in Houston. Or living in London interested in an advertising specialist in Australia.

All this freedom does make it difficult to narrow down your choices.

But this list is a great place to start.

1. Neil Patel Digital — Best for content marketing and SEO

Let’s face it — consistent content creation and effective content marketing are the banes of a lot of business’s existence.

Pair that with constantly evolving search engine algorithms and you have a recipe for burnout and frustration (on top of your every-day to-do’s).

Thankfully there’s an easier way than staying on top of it on your own.

Neil Patel Digital was built by marketers — not bankers — interested in disrupting the way brands (and their target audience) think about the content they create, publish, and promote.

We’ve helped businesses like Facebook, Intuit, and Google, as well as small to medium-sized businesses, disrupt their industries with our holistic and authentic approach to content creation and search engine optimization

From research to execution to promotion and ongoing optimization, we know a thing or two (or twenty) about helping your brand create the best content for the right people… and putting it in front of them as well.

Your business deserves to be heard and there’s no one more dedicated to making that happen than our team of professional experts equipped with my world-class digital marketing strategies.

Plus, with seven offices around the world, our team is here for you when you need us.

2. Cubicle Ninjas — Best for brand design and app/website development

You can have the best ideas and products in the world but without a brand that portrays your story and core values, you’re going to have a hard time connecting with your audience

But cohesive brand design goes beyond the basics of graphic design best practices and Googling for free information until your eyes gloss over.

That’s where an experienced specialist comes in and saves the day.

Cubicle Ninjas uses a strategic combination of design and technology to develop innovative, inspiring, and one-of-a-kind branding design paired with the mobile apps and websites brands need to stand out in our online world.

They’ve designed high-end customer experiences for companies like Red Bull, Microsoft, IBM, and Hilton but they also work with smaller boutique brands as well.

Cubicle Ninjas believe the best brands encompass visual, written, and interactive elements to create a cohesive customer experience through every stage of their journey from casual visitors to loyal repeat customers.

Their client-proven process works for businesses and projects of all sizes interested in developing a brand and creative assets that help them tell their story.

3. Storm Brain — Best for advertising and social media marketing

Social media seemingly changes by the second.

It feels impossible to keep up with new platforms, updated policies, and ever-changing social media marketing techniques on top of running your business.

But thankfully, you don’t have to.

Storm Brain is a digital marketing company specializing in effective advertising campaigns and social media marketing that helps brands of all sizes generate more leads, build brand ambassadors, and make more money with a strong focus on ROI.

They’ve worked with some big names like Zillow, Ford, and Citi Bank but they also work with smaller brands in a wide variety of industries.

Storm Brain focuses on planning, creating, and executing both paid and organic social media campaigns that help your audience connect with your brand across social media channels.

However, they specialize in Facebook and paid social media advertising

Their four-step strategic approach centers around your target audience and capitalizes on paid media, owned media, and earned media to ensure your brand is in front of the right people.

4. Mad Mind — Best for eCommerce development and product branding

As a product-based business, you have different marketing roadblocks than service-based or blogging-based businesses.

And there are a lot of other branding elements coming into play as well.

Thankfully, Mad Mind is here to help.

They’re a creative digital marketing studio for both large and small eCommerce brands looking to develop cohesive branding from their website design down to the smallest details of their product packaging.

Brands like Lyft and Sony Music trust Mad Mind to help them create an impactful brand, attract the right people, and turn them into lifelong paying customers.

Furthermore, they’ve been featured on Shark Tank, The Los Angeles Times, and Vogue.

From WordPress, WooCommerce, and Shopify development to custom websites and thoughtful eCommerce branding, their team of “marketing geniuses” delivers powerful results and dynamic marketing strategies you can leverage for years to come.

5. Pop Video — Best for video and visual content marketing

Video and visual content marketing are booming right now.

But it’s no secret planning, creating, and producing videos feels overwhelming and downright difficult, to say the least.

The good news is… you don’t have to do it all yourself.

Pop Video specializes in doing the heavy lifting (read: video creation, execution, repurposing, editing, etc.) for you.

They know your audience expects more than one-off videos and other types of visual content. And they also believe your business deserves better, as well. They don’t call themselves a “lean, mean, content-generating machine” for nothing.

Pop Video has partnered with hundreds of brands including Phillips 66, Academy Sports + Outdoors, and Mattress Firm to revolutionize the way their audiences consume and interact with digital content.

However, they don’t just produce great videos.

They help you create a library of visual assets by repurposing content as well so you can walk away with all the visual content marketing material you need.

6. Action Rocket — Best for email marketing and design

There’s a reason 93% of B2B brands use email to distribute the content they create — it works

But starting your email list and growing it into a database of raving fans and customers isn’t easy. Most businesses know this and do everything they can to avoid it like the plague.

Good thing you have another option.

Action Rocket is an email marketing studio leveraging strategic approaches, creative thinking, and in-depth customer journeys to develop results-driven email marketing campaigns

Furthermore, they’ve worked with some huge names you may have heard of like QVC, Unicef, and American Express.

However, they also work with businesses of all sizes anywhere in the world.

Action Rocket offers courses, workshops, and training as well as world-class email campaign creation services so you can start leveraging one of the most effective forms of digital marketing for your business.

7 characteristics that make a great digital marketing company

Now you know my top recommendations.

So, let’s talk about what makes these digital marketing companies great and what to look for if none of the companies above match what you’re after. These are the key steps in how to pick the right digital marketing agency.

1. A great website and digital marketing strategy

Smart digital marketers understand the importance of having a well-designed website and an effective digital marketing strategy.

So, it makes sense to expect your digital marketing company to have both, especially if they offer web design or custom development services.

Take a look around their website, sign up for the email list, and peek at their social media profiles to make sure they’re practicing what they preach.

And if they’re not… move on to a digital marketing company that is.

2. An impressive portfolio

Agencies use their portfolio to show off their best work.

So, look through their published portfolio pieces to see examples of the types of work they produce for their clients.

This also gives you an idea of the types of clients they frequently work with.

Pay close attention to the style and quality of what they do and make sure it closely aligns with what you hope to get out of working with them.

Furthermore, look at the list of clients they have to see if you recognize any of the names.

If anything seems off or doesn’t fit what you’re looking for, move on to a digital marketing company that feels like a better fit for you and your business.

3. Aligned company culture and core values

It’s important to work with companies that value the same things and have a strong company culture you can appreciate to get the results you hope to achieve (without wanting to pull your hair out).

Do you prefer a creative and collaborative atmosphere or a more rigid and structured approach?

Look at the words, phrases, and photos they use on their website to get an idea of how they work and make sure it’s a good match to what you’re looking for.

Some digital marketing companies use humor and playfulness while others are more serious.

So, decide what type of experience you want to have and find a company that matches that.

Example: Would you use the word “disruptive” to describe your brand and vision?

4. A diverse team with appropriate specializations

It’s important to hire a digital marketing company with the right team that can deliver the results you’re hoping for.

If you’re looking for high-end brand design services, make sure they have an experienced team of designers to take on your project.

Or maybe you’re interested in a custom-coded website.

Check out that company’s team on their about page (if they have everyone listed there) or on LinkedIn to make sure they have an experienced designer and a coder or developer on staff.

5. Timely and effective communication

Strong communication is one of the most important parts of a fruitful and beneficial partnership between a company and its digital marketing company.

So, it’s important to consider their communication skills and overall customer service before hiring them.

You can do this by evaluating the responses you get and how long it takes for them to respond to your messages and questions before giving them any money.

This doesn’t always work but if they take weeks to respond to a simple question, consider moving on to someone else.

6. Realistic promises and proven results

Before scheduling a consultation or reaching out for more information, look through their website to make sure their promises are realistic.

Furthermore, look to see if you can find any data-driven case studies they have regarding the type of results they regularly produce for their clients.

If they’re promising unrealistic things and making outlandish claims on their website, that’s a huge red flag.

Why? Because this means they probably don’t understand how the industry works and they don’t have any actual client results to share.

7. Real-world client testimonials

93% of consumers turn to customer reviews and testimonials when deciding to buy something. They do this because it helps justify the expense and ensure they’re going to get what they pay for.

So, you should do the same.

Keep an eye out for detailed and honest customer reviews or testimonials to give you an insight into what working with the company is like.

If you can’t find any, they probably haven’t worked with many clients and they may be inexperienced.

Which… is fine if you’re on a budget. But it’s not fine if you’re looking for the best possible solution for your business.

What to expect from a great digital marketing company

Now you know what to look for, so let’s talk about what to expect when working or partnering with a digital marketing company.

The details of each phase look different for every business out there. But, the fundamentals remain the same regardless of the company you choose to work with.

Phase 1: discovery and research

The best digital marketing companies want to learn everything there is to know about your business from top to bottom.

This usually happens through a series of phone calls/zoom chats and detailed questionnaires so they can get to know you and what you’re looking for. They’ll also do a deep dive into your target market, audience, and competition.

Phase 2: developing a plan of action

Once they know who you are and what you’re looking for, they’ll work with you to develop a detailed timeline and plan of attack to get the job done well and on time.

Phase 3: executing the plan of attack

Once everyone agrees on the plan, it’s time to start executing.

Your digital marketing company will work through the process of creating and finalizing everything you both agreed to during phase 2.

This includes building infrastructure, creatives, ongoing strategies, and anything else you need to achieve the results you’re after. Again, this looks different for different types of projects and the company you’re working with.

Depending on the complexity of your project, this could take anywhere from a few days to several months (or even a few years depending on the type of partnership).

Phase 4: results and offboarding

After everything is complete, good digital marketing companies will walk you through the results and outcomes you achieved by working together.

From there, you’ll discuss the next steps and how to move forward on your own (or what happens next if your partnership isn’t over).

Digital marketing = long-term relationships and results

Investing in digital marketing is a huge step in the right direction for your business. But, these strategies don’t return results overnight and they generally tend to ramp up over time.

So, expect a long-term relationship with your digital marketing company.

The longer you work with them, the more fine-tuned they are to your needs, and the quicker they can get to work producing even better long-term results for you and your business.

So, whether you choose one of my top recommendations or scout out your own, use the tips and best practices we talked about to make a smart, educated decision… like the future of your business depends on it.

Because it does!

Have you worked with any digital marketing companies recently? How did it go and did you get the results you hoped for?

The post The 6 Best Digital Marketing Companies of 2020 appeared first on Neil Patel.

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Petition for Reinstatement

Submission Deadlines for Petitions to be Reinstated to the CoE

*Please note that these deadlines are not negotiable.

Current students (enrolled in the previous full term)

Winter Term 2021

January 25, 2021

Spring Term 2021

Date will be indicated in Academic Standing Email

Summer Term 2021

Date will be indicated in Academic Standing Email

Fall Term 2021

July 1, 2021

Non-continuing students (not enrolled the previous full term)

Spring Term 2021

March 1, 2021

Summer Term 2021

May 1, 2021

Fall Term 2021

July 1, 2021

Winter Term 2021

November 2, 2020

Steps for Petitioning for Reinstatement

  1. Complete a Petition for Reinstatement by the deadline above.

  2. Make an appointment with your academic advisor as soon as possible:

  3. Ensure that your transcript is complete and accurate.

  4. Check your record on Wolverine Access — if grades are not current or accurate, obtain signed letters from instructors indicating correct grades and attach to your petition.

  5. Make sure that your phone number and address is accurate in the University directory.

  6. The Scholastic Standing Committee must be able to contact you for appointments, decisions and additional questions. If the Committee cannot contact you, your petition will be withdrawn.

  7. The Scholastic Standing Committee will review your petition using the following guidelines:

    • Your prospects for academic success

    • The issues you identify as being barriers to your success and actions that you have taken to remedy the issues so they will not impact your future academic success

    • Whether you met previous reinstatement conditions (if applicable)

  8. If it is determined that you must meet with the Committee, you will be contacted by the Scholastic Standing Committee staff to arrange an appointment. If a meeting is unnecessary, you will be informed of the Committee’s decision via mail and email.

  9. IMPORTANT: While your petition is pending, it is imperative that you attend all classes for which you intend to register, if your petition is approved. Additional documentation may be requested.

Keep in mind:

  • If you fail to meet the petition deadlines indicated on your official notification of academic standing (mailed within three weeks following each term), you will forfeit your right to petition for those terms and you will be withdrawn from any future terms. There are no exceptions to this rule.

  • Reinstatement is not automatic, and depends largely on a realistic assessment of your prospects for academic success. If personal issues are adversely impacting your performance, the Committee may recommend a temporary leave until the issues are resolved.

  • If your enrollment has been withheld two times, you must take leave from the University for the next full academic term. There are no exceptions to this rule. If granted reinstatement at a later date, you will have a terminal term to meet your reinstatement conditions; otherwise, you will be permanently dismissed from the University of Michigan.

  • To graduate, students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.0 program GPA. It is a policy of the College not to reinstate a student who has taken all courses required for a degree, but does not have a 2.0 grade point average

Submit a Petition for Reinstatement

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CORONAVIRUS | Refugee artisans in Kuala Lumpur contributed to making some 7,685 personal protection equipment (PPE) sets for frontliners in eight hospitals and clinics in Malaysia.

The artisans – 21 Afghani and six Myanmarese refugees – contributed to the efforts by Earth Heir, a fair trade social enterprise collective of 140 artisans in Malaysia.

The PPE sets are worth RM163,806.20 and have been delivered, Earth Heir said in its submission to a contest by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

“The PPE project both provides a means for refugee artisans to earn an income, support the effort to help our national heroes and allows us to help the country battle the coronavirus outbreak,” Earth Heir’s contest submission reads.

The PPE production was funded by donations, and the items delivered to Hospital Ampang, Hospital Klang, the Gombak and Petaling district health departments, Klinik Kesihatan Petaling, Shah Alam and Batu and the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.

The UNDP and Unicef contest, which runs until June 12, seeks submissions from individuals and community groups on coping strategies in the midst of the movement control order (MCO).

Participants can share their stories by sending SHARE to +6016 800 1919 via Telegram or WhatsApp, along with photos or videos of their activities during the movement control order, to stand a chance to win RM100 worth of vouchers.

It is part of UNDP and Unicef’s solutions mapping effort to record grassroots challenges and innovations during the Covid-19 pandemic, to help policymakers address community needs.

Artisans severely affected by supply chain disruption

Earth Heir shared their story of the refugee artisans under the category “supporting vulnerable groups in the community”.

It said the project tries to address the needs of the artisans, whose livelihoods were severely affected through supply chain disruption, forced operation closures and order cancellations under the MCO.

The refugee artisans were also part of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), which is Asia’s initiative to distribute fair trade and PPE sets made by refugees, it said.

Under this programme, refugees from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Syria were producing PPE sets, including gowns, headcovers and shoe covers, to contribute to the fight against Covid-19, it said.

Earlier, Earth Heir chief executive officer Xiao Cheng Wong told the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the group’s goal is to ensure income for their refugee members.

“They are one of the most vulnerable groups during this pandemic and are hit the most during an economic slowdown,” Wong said.

Some of the refugee artisans collaborating with Earth Heir are based in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, which was placed under lockdown last month following a spike in Covid-19 cases there.

Stuck behind barbed wires, the artisans were unable to continue their work and had to rely on Earth Heir for basic provisions, the group said. The refugee group included 14 adults and five children, Earth Heir said.

There are 177,800 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia up to April. They are from Myanmar, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Palestine and other countries. A total 46,450 are children.

Malaysia has not ratified the 1951 International Convention on Refugees. Refugees and asylum seekers are considered undocumented migrants and are not allowed to work or seek education in Malaysia.

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Everything you Do Not Know About Pearson Education Grade that is 5th Math Could Be Costing to Significantly More Than You Would Imagine

Everything you Do Not Know About Pearson Education Grade that is 5th Math Could Be Costing to Significantly More Than You Would Imagine

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Just Transition — Part 1: The Kingdom of Coal

By Chris Silver - DeSmog UK, October 30, 2018

In this first of our new series 'Just Transition, from Fossil Fuels to Environmental Justice', we look at the history of energy in Fife, and begin to mine the prospects for a more sustainable future to meet our climate crisis.

In 2002, the Fife mine that was still powering Scotland’s last coal-fired power station at Longannet flooded. Its closure brought to an end 500 long years of underground labouring for coal in Scotland. In Fife in particular, an early starter in the industry, silent monuments to the dirty, dangerous work of extraction dot the landscape.

Energy has never been far from the surface of Scottish politics. Launched on the world by coal deposits that happened to lie close to navigable waterways, modern Scotland’s birth coincides directly with the moment of energy transition that, on current trajectories, will see the world warm by a cataclysmic four degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

In the post-war era, the Labour Party in Scotland emerged as the dominant political force with the nationalisation of heavy industries such as coal production, while the SNP would only become a serious electoral threat to this dominance after the development of North Sea oil. The dire economic troubles of Scottish industry in the 1970s pointed to the inescapable prospect that oil, in the hands of a newly empowered nation, could offer an alternative to industrial decline.

The now notorious 1974 McCrone Report, long suppressed, saw a UK government civil servant explicitly outline the immense prosperity that would have accrued to an independent Scotland exercising its sovereignty over North Sea oil. As it turned out, the failure to channel this resource towards addressing specifically Scottish priorities, or to establish a public fund like Norway, remains a potent argument in the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) claim that Scotland should not be governed from London.

However, since winning power in Scotland in 2007, the SNP has self-consciously sought to position itself as a leader on climate change. After 10 years of working within the limits of its devolved powers in office and setting world-leading emissions reduction targets, the current SNP government recently announced a Just Transition Commission headed by Professor Jim Skea.

The potential for an unprecedented step-change, preserving jobs and skills, aligned with calls for a global “Green New Deal,” could open the next, and indeed final, chapter on Scotland’s centuries-long relationship with carbon capital.

This relationship was first set down in a 1606 Act of the (still independent) Scottish Parliament, outlining a form of serfdom to prevent colliers absconding from their masters, a reminder of the dark legacy of exploitation and coercion that still haunts former mining communities in Fife.

In this series of articles, we’ll look at the prospects of a just transition, by talking to those living and working in Scottish communities defined by the fossil fuel industry, and consider how this urgent agenda for change could come about.

History, Energy, Landscape

At the heart of the challenge of a just transition is the obvious reality that previous energy transitions have tended to be patchwork affairs.

In Scotland, the enormous growth of the North Sea oil sector did offer an alternative for workers in regions hit by deindustrialization across the UK, in addition to assisting with the country’s balance of payments troubles and providing the UK Exchequer with funds to, amongst other priorities, maintain otherwise socially-unsustainable levels of unemployment.

In present day Fife, which had an unemployment rate of 18.8 percent in 1986, the current hybrid energy mix is visible across the landscape. Onshore turbines stand out on the hills above the now-silent Longannet power station, closed in 2016 but still dominating the upper reaches of the Forth Estuary. The recent Climate Change Committee report on Scotland couldn’t help but note how this single act accounted for a massive slice of Scotland’s decarbonisation progress. The plant was the largest power station in Scotland, and the WWF listed it as one of the 30 dirtiest in Europe.

Just across the river, at Grangemouth, around four percent of Scotland’s GDP is generated by the refinery and petrochemical operation built by a nationalised BP and now run by private US firm INEOS. Today, the combined site’s vast demand for energy places it at the top of the list of emitters north of the border.

To the east, close by the town of Cowdenbeath, which was once at the heart of Fife’s giant coal industry, lies a spin-off operation, referred to colloquially as Mossmorran, where natural gas from the North Sea Brent field is processed.

Depending on production schedules, the giant glow of the plant’s main flare can be seen clearly from Edinburgh, a reminder to legislators in the capital that a transition to a decarbonised economy is still far from being realised.

Mary Lockhart, a Councillor for a string of former mining villages in the nearby Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty ward, has followed in her mother’s footsteps in campaigning vociferously against continued use of the plant. With flaring becoming an increasingly frequent practice, she claims many local residents have had enough:

The social impact of that flaring can’t be underestimated. If you’re in Lochgelly on the hill at the top of it it’s like the noise of multiple aircraft taking off, it’s like if you’ve suddenly moved to being inside the periphery of Glasgow airport.”

Children were wetting the bed, were frighted for weeks to sleep on their own, children were waking up screaming because they thought the house was on fire”, she explains.

The site consists of both a gas extraction facility run by Shell and an ethylene production plant operated by ExxonMobil. The flaring is the result of the the fact that the St Fergus pipeline, which provides 15 percent of Scotland’s gas supply, cannot be shut down automatically. For the operators, flaring is therefore an essential safety mechanism.

But living alongside this crucial node in Scotland’s carbon supply chain is becoming increasingly troubling. Lockhart continues:

You can actually smell the smell, a metallic petrochemical smell. I was shown people who’d had their washing out and black smudges were on it. People should not have to live like that, actually some miles from the installation.”

Behind this growing resentment lies the fact that the Mossmorran workforce is relatively small — around 300 permanent employees, many of whom do not live locally, with the companies showing only a token interest in the welfare of the populations they operate so close to. ExxonMobil publish newsletters refuting such claims, citing £150,000 worth of investment in community schemes, and workplace volunteering figures showing that the 70 percent of their workforce live within six miles of the plant.

I meet Councillor Lockhart in the cosy 1970s splendour of the Lochore Miners’ Welfare Society and Social Club. She can’t help but draw comparisons between the two industries:

You look at this building that was built by the miners out of their wages for themselves and you think what the value of this is. Mossmorran doesn’t do anything like that for anybody.”

The community return is minuscule compared to the impact and no one deals with it and they just deny, and deny, and deny and they don’t listen.”

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has launched an investigation into the flaring issue and is scheduled to report in November. It has already issued fines and final warning letters to both Shell and Exxon.

Lockhart, born in the village which she now represents on Fife Council, lives in the house once occupied by renowned miners’ leader Lawrence Daly.

Her predecessor Willie Clarke served the area for forty years, initially as a Communist, and latterly as an independent. The area’s history of left-wing radicalism — it was the last constituency in Britain to elect a Communist MP — is still tangible. A legacy, perhaps, of the brutal conditions once prevalent underground, from the distant memory of serfdom to the totemic strikes of the 20th century.

When the industry shut down really there was nothing else. Because these are rural communities… So for a while there was a lot of unemployment, but actually people took to doing all sorts of things… the people are fiercely independent and they work. We really do have the working class here”, says Lockhart.

Many ex-miners invested their redundancy money to set up as sole traders, moving from a heavily social sector to an individualised one: white vans with rusting wheel hubs are the norm outside many of the village’s pebbledash houses. Others went offshore, retrained, or found jobs at the Rosyth Naval Dockyard. Few work at Mossmorran.

If it is galling for these former mining villages to be living alongside the fires of the industry that came, in some respects, to replace the pits, it is clearly not just proximity to the noise, dirt and danger of extraction that is controversial. It is, rather, a sense of dislocation, an ongoing reminder that when the miners lost their ability to exert control over Britain’s energy supply in 1984-5, the gates did not just shut at the pit heads. The very idea of local or worker control over energy was fenced off too.

That transition, argue signatories to a just transition agreement that urges immediate action to clean up Scotland's economy, was demonstrably unjust. Today, the fruits of this modern form of enclosure can be seen in the pockets of poverty that now ring major centres for oil and gas production — whether in Fife, Grangemouth or Aberdeen.

Towards a Just Transition

Instead, a just transition will be shaped in a context in which the boom years of fossil fuel extraction in Scotland are an increasingly a distant memory. But what of the next boom, the apparent ability of Scotland to become, in former First Minister Alex Salmond’s memorable phrase, ‘the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy’?

A few miles down the road from Ballingry, at an industrial estate consisting of former National Coal Board warehouses outside Cowdenbeath, the steel building blocks of a post-carbon economy are, quite literally, taking shape.

Raymond Imrie, Director of AJS Productions, founded this small steel fabrication firm, in partnership with design engineer Andrew Scott, five years ago.

Basically 75 percent of our work now comes from the renewables sector… Obviously we have a track record of what we’ve done in the past and what we’ve produced so we tend to be able to provide the service that they’re asking for and it’s looking good,” says Imrie.

However, scaling up production has proved problematic. A specialist in wave and tidal machines, AJS still works on contracts for the oil and gas sector, and employs between five and 15 workers depending on its order book.

Despite the company’s record, expertise, and location close to some of the most productive renewable generation sites in the world, the sector is still precarious, in comparison to more established industries:

We could spend quite a lot of time talking to the client, helping them develop their product and then they don’t get the funding, so we find sometimes that we put a lot of hours in for nothing.”

As with any other sector, the uncertainty of Brexit has also raised a major question around medium-term investment:

There have been a couple of bigger companies that have failed, after millions and millions of investment… so obviously investors are a bit anxious. There is money from the EU but that might stop very abruptly”, he explains.

Imrie’s concerns are shared by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Citing the £500 million of European Investment Bank funds behind the massive Beatrice Wind Farm in the Moray Firth, she noted:

Scotland has also done disproportionately well from EU support for research and innovation in the renewables sector. We want that to continue.”

A hard Brexit could potentially cause harm to our supply chain and skills base, our influence on big decisions on issues such as regulation and energy flows, and our access to funding.”

If Brexit has the capacity to cut off access to specific funds, wider economic insecurity makes longer-term investments, such as hiring more apprentices, growing the workforce and investing in new machines and premises, increasingly challenging for AJS:

I’d like to employ 100 men, I’d like to take more guys on, but as I say I don’t think I’m just speaking for myself, I think I’m speaking for every fabrication shop and even the engineering shops. Before you’d have orders in for six, seven, eight months and you knew you had work, now it’s a lot more cut-throat and that insecurity makes it difficult for you to take guys on”, says Imrie.

Precarious Renewables

If concerns around the macro-economic picture post-Brexit sound abstract, the current precariousness of the renewables sector in Fife was made all too tangible last year with the collapse of neighbouring Burntisland-based firm BiFab.

At its peak, BiFab directly employed a workforce of 400, alongside 1,000 contractors. Yet difficulties with a single contract to supply jackets for the same European Investment Bank-funded Beatrice windfarm saw the firm report £50 million of losses.

Prior to a Scottish government-organised rescue package, which granted a reprieve in partnership with a subsidiary of Canadian-owned JV Driver, the workforce had dwindled to just a handful by May 2018. The deal was achieved in the context of a dramatic stand-off led by the GMB union.

Although GMB themselves did not sign up to it, the just transition statement contains a clear call for greater state intervention and partnership. Yet the celebrated and burgeoning offshore wind sector remains dominated by large energy multinationals such as Siemens Wind Power and EDF.

For Imrie and his small firm straining towards expansion, but hemmed in by uncertainty, there is an obvious role that only government can play in making the kind of step-change that a just transition demands:

I think infrastructure is a big thing. I know that the Fife economy and the Scottish economy lose a lot of work down to what we have in facilities. I believe we’ve got the skill, we’ve got the workforce, but it’s the infrastructure.”

He continues, “If you look at some of the big dockyards in Poland or even down at Newcastle, BiFab were competing against them for the work, and they did get some of the work but they struggled with the work. And it wasn’t the workforce… the reason I believe that BiFab struggled was infrastructure.”

Raymond also believes that local firms in Fife could, through forming a consortium, start to bid for work from the big players in sectors like offshore wind. But for now, there is no guarantee that major decarbonisation efforts, such as offshore renewable energy production in the waters off the east coast, will be reflected in substantial gains for the local economy onshore.

From Govan to Paris

For Scotland to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement, it can only emit a total of 300 million tonnes more carbon dioxide – meaning it has to cut emissions by at least ten percent every year. Whichever way you look at it, this will be the greatest challenge faced by Scottish industry for a generation.

Although Scotland’s headline renewable energy potential has been a part of the political agenda for years now, it is hard to ignore the muscle memory provoked by the BiFab dispute in Burntisland — which culminated in a dramatic work-in, in which many of the workforce stayed on site to complete orders.

The parallel with the iconic work-in led by Jimmy Reid at Upper Clyde Shipbuilders in 1972 was clear. The pain of Scotland’s rapid industrialisation precisely at the moment when North Sea oil was coming online is still potent, emotive and bound up with the identity of countless communities along the nation’s two great river estuaries.

When 1,400 BiFab workers marched on the Scottish Parliament in December last year demanding their jobs be protected as a core part of Scotland’s energy future, the message from GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith was unequivocal:

This is the biggest industrial dispute for a generation and our message is clear — we will not allow these yards to be closed to become another museum of Scotland’s industry.”

Future Thinking

The tall structure that once housed the winding gear of the Mary Pit near Ballingry now sits amidst the greenery of Lochore Meadows Country Park. It stands there along with a squat green steam-engine or ‘pug’, to memorialise an industry that was once knitted into the fabric of everyday life.

Mary Lockhart, who remembers playing on still smouldering bings near the pit as a child, recalls, “The pug said Mary on it and it was my pug and when we went down the Pit Road people used to tell me it was mine. I’ve always had this affinity with it.”

For many, the natural sense of intimacy, ownership and connection that grew up around the mining villages in Fife might seem as dated as the velour upholstery in the Lochore Miners’ Social.

But the just transition agreement signed by Friends of the Earth Scotland and the large Scottish trade unions has no such qualms, stating:

Where necessary to secure change at sufficient pace and scale, options for public and community ownership or partial stakes in flagship projects and enterprises should be pursued.”

Could this community, built on coal production and still struggling with the demons of past transitions, embrace such dramatic changes?

I think in a place like this, there’s a resilience. There’s a resilience”, says Mary.

If you persuade people that what you are doing is investing in the future, their future and their children’s future and their grandchildren’s future, and the future of their community and their country, I think they can be carried along.”

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author’s.

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Further: the inclusion of a link on our site (other than the link to the main IWW site) does not imply endorsement by or an alliance with the IWW. These sites have been chosen by our members due to their perceived relevance to the IWW EUC and are included here for informational purposes only. If you have any suggestions or comments on any of the links included (or not included) above, please contact us.

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It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or technical advice.


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Assorted Links Monday

A quick holiday read in today's Assorted Links: passport delays, a trillion dollars in concrete repair, and robot grocers.

Dane Carlson
Dane Carlson
1 min read
Assorted Links Monday

Since everyone wants to travel at the same time: A U.S. Department of State official says the wait time for passports is 18 weeks.

Concrete construction lasts 50-100 years, so "a multi-trillion-dollar bill is coming due right around now, in the form of concrete construction that needs noisy, dirty, expensive repair".

How many robots does it take to run a grocery store?

Episode 9 of the Econ Dev Show Podcast is out.

LinkedIn Marketing For Your EDO with Andrew Phillips
It turns out that I’ve been doing LinkedIn wrong, and probably so have you. In this episode, LinkedIn’s EDO expert Andrew Phillips sets us on the right path.

And, finally: we have a new Facebook page.

Dane Carlson

Founder/Host of Econ Dev Show. By day: Director of Economic Development for Galveston County, Texas. Previously: Founded, ran and sold the world's first blog network for entrepreneurs.


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The Economic Times
English Edition
| E-Paper

    No electronic dance music in Goa between December 15-January 15 period from next year: Laxmikant Parsekar

    Laxmikant Parsekar said categorically stated that the government would not tolerate a clash in the event dates from the next year.

    PANAJI: The Goa government has said that the Sunburn and the Supersonic Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals, which the state hosts at Vagator and Candolim, respectively, won't be held in the peak season of December 15-January 15 from the next year.

    The state Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who yesterday cleared the files, granting conditional permission to the organizers of both the festivals to hold the four-day-long events from today, categorically stated that the government would not tolerate a clash in the event dates from the next year.

    "I called both the organizers (Sunburn's Percept Ltd and Supersonic's Viacom 18) and told them that this would not be tolerated.

    "The dates of both the events should not clash and they should be conducted before December 15 or after January 15 from the next year," Parsekar said.

    The government is concerned about heavy traffic and security issues in the state during the peak season, when tourist footfalls rise significantly, he said.

    Moreover, the government, aiming to attract high-end tourists to Goa, is apprehensive that holding such events during the December 15-January 15 period might turn this category of visitors away owing to the traffic congestion, he said.

    In a recent meeting, the State Level Permission Committee (SLPC), constituted by the Chief Minister, had recommended to the state to decide EDM dates and venues from 2016 onwards on its own, as the decision-making that hitherto lay with the organizers has often put the state in a tight spot, an SLPC official said.

    The local police, too, has raised concerns over maintaining law and order with additional security arrangements at both venues to be managed simultaneously, the official said.

    The SLPC on December 24 inspected the venues to check for fire, security, health and other related arrangements, he said.

    After the clash over the venue at Candolim, the two organizers continue to remain adamant over holding their respective music fests from December 27-30, with neither willing to adjust, despite repeated requests from the state government, he said.
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    The Economic Times

    Stories you might be interested in


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RaboResearch - Economisch Onderzoek

Economisch commentaar

Tapering, a game-changer? (Engelstalig)

The start of tapering in January 2014 is not expected to significantly change our global economic outlook. Nevertheless, it might have negative consequences for the bond markets of vulnerable countries, both in the emerging world and the eurozone.

Outlook 2014 - China: balancing reforms and growth (Engelstalig)

After an ambitious start, China’s new leadership seems to have eased back on its reform drive. Maintaining a sufficiently strong growth rate is still the priority. For 2014, this implies only incremental reforms and a growth rate of around 7¼%.

The Mexican 1982 debt crisis (Engelstalig)

In August 1982, Mexico was the first of many Latin American countries to default on its sovereign debt. This report covers the main characteristics of the Mexican debt crisis as well as its main causes and triggers.


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Economics at your fingertips

Novel formulations and VNS-based heuristics for single and multiple allocation p-hub maximal covering problems

Olivera Janković (), Stefan Mišković (), Zorica Stanimirović () and Raca Todosijević ()
Additional contact information
Olivera Janković: University of Kragujevac
Stefan Mišković: University of Belgrade
Zorica Stanimirović: University of Belgrade
Raca Todosijević: LAMIH UMR CNRS 8201 - Universié de Valenciennes

Annals of Operations Research, 2017, vol. 259, issue 1, No 9, 216 pages

Abstract: Abstract This paper deals with uncapacitated single and multiple allocation p-hub maximal covering problems (USApHMCP and UMApHMCP) with binary and partial covering criteria. We present new mixed-integer programming formulations of the considered problems, which are valid for both binary and partial coverage cases. The efficiency of the proposed formulations is evaluated through computational experiments on smaller-size instances, and compared with the state-of-the art models from the literature. The obtained results indicate that the new UMApHMCP formulation outperforms the existing one for both coverage criteria in the sense of solutions’ quality and running times. In order to solve instances of larger problem dimension, we develop two heuristic methods based on variable neighborhood search: general VNS (GVNS) for USApHMCP and basic VNS (BVNS) for UMApHMCP. The proposed GVNS and BVNS involve the same shaking procedure in order to hopefully escape local minima traps, while local search phases in GVNS and BVNS use different neighborhood structures in accordance with applied allocation schemes. Computational experiments conducted on smaller-size instances showed that both GVNS and BVNS almost instantly reach all known optimal solutions. In addition, the proposed GVNS and BVNS showed to be very efficient when solving large and large-scale hub instances with up to 1000 nodes, which were not previously considered as test instances for the considered problems. Both GVNS and BVNS provided best solutions on challenging USApHMCP and UMApHMCP instances for both coverage cases in short running times, which indicates their potential to be applied to similar problems.

Keywords: p-Hub maximal covering problem; Binary and partial coverage; Mixed integer programming; Variable neighborhood search (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10479-017-2508-1 Abstract (text/html)
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DOI: 10.1007/s10479-017-2508-1

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Economics at your fingertips

Reforming Canada's Dairy Sector: USMCA and the Issue of Compensation

Gerrit van Kooten

Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2020, vol. 42, issue 3, 542-558

Abstract: Supply management (SM) in Canada's dairy sector was an obstacle to the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Reform of agricultural SM regimes in sugar, peanuts, tobacco, and dairy in various jurisdictions are reviewed, and an analytic framework is developed to investigate how Canada might eliminate its dairy quota regime while not overcompensating producers. Compensation based on quota values amount to $5.9 billion if untargeted, but only $2.9 billion if targeted; in contrast, theoretically correct estimates of the loss that dairy producers would face range from $0.2 to $1.9 billion. Such costs are low enough not to impede the elimination of supply management.

Date: 2020
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EWG Art logo

Eden Wild Goose Art

EWG will be developing activities to encourage our enjoyment of the arts.

'Open Mic: Words and Music Picnic'
Sunday 18th July 12.30-2pm on Wetheral Village Green

One Minute Mindful Moments

A series of short videos

EWGN All is well Geese Title

Weekly Art Group

When the lock down is over, and at an opportune time, anyone is invited to join the weekly art group at Wetheral Methodist Church on Tuesdays from 1.30-3pm. This is not a teaching time, you bring your own art project and join with others who are working on theirs. Sometimes there is a suggestion for people to try. We will give notice of when it restarts.

May 2020 Wetheral Art for All Online Exhibition

Art for all heading
The Covid-19 lock down has prevented the Annual Art for All Exhibition from taking place in Wetheral Community Village Hall, so we are relocating. This year Eden Wild Goose, a community group inspired by the local churches, is hosting the exhibition on line. The artwork is normally for sale, however we are unable to do that this year, so the artists have sent images for our viewing and enjoyment.
Link to gallery of artists


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Fire Safety Awareness Training Course - Eden Safety Services

The Aim is to provide participants with a greater awareness and understanding of the threat posed by fire, their personal responsibility in preventing an outbreak and the action to be taken should a fire occur. This course will be of particular benefit for all staff, particularly those with a designated fire responsibility (e.g. Fire Marshall) working in industry, commerce or the public sector.

Course Content

What is covered on our Fire Safety Course

  • Fire facts and figures
  • Combustion principles
  • Fire risk assessment
  • Evacuation principles
  • Fire extinguishment - theory
  • The selection and operation of portable fire extinguishers
  • Fire extinguishment - practical with our latest safe and environmentally friendly fire fighting equipment (where circumstances and conditions permit).

Skills Group Practice
MCQ Questions

On successful completion of this course participants will receive a certificate in Fire Safety Awareness that is valid for 3 years.

The course can accommodate a maximum of __ students.

Fill in the form below with your details and we will be in touch with you real soon.

    Please choose your course of interest:

    All courses can be delivered on site or at our dedicated training centers.

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Face mapping – Dermalogica

Face mapping – Dermalogica

Face mapping is Dermalogica’s unique skin analysis technique performed by professional therapists. It provides insight into a client’s skins past and present. This allows the therapist to prescribe a target focused home care regime for a healthy skin future. Face mapping takes as little as five to ten minutes and completely eliminates the guesswork when selecting products for results on your skin.

The way in which a Dermalogica trained therapist analyses the skin is by dividing the skin into 14 different zones and thoroughly examining inch-by-inch through touch and sight.

Whilst the therapist is examining each zone individually they note any findings on a personalized prescription sheet. This prescription sheet serves as a customised guide for the client outlining which products would be best suited to the skins condition.

The prescription sheet also serves as an accurate record of the client’s skin, which in future provides the client and the therapist a view into the results of the initial professional recommendation.

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about me

Hi! I'm Eder Díaz, I have over 12 years of experience in front-end development, primarily in media and entertainment industries.

Eder Díaz profile image

I'm passionate about making highly interactive sites and apps. As a Tech Lead, I've managed teams to launch sites and platforms, some of them with millions of unique users per month. Additionally, I love teaching about good coding practices, front-end technologies, and UI programmatic animations.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing and making video games, brewing beer, and traveling.

I'm currently working on redesigning this site to show off some of my previous work, talks, and experiments. Meanwhile if you'd like to read about that, you can visit my blog


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Stress-free Greece: 5 great yoga retreats

Rania Margari, for CNNUpdated 23rd July 2015
(CNN) — Stressful times for Greece mean potentially stressful times for visitors to Greece.
With the country still locked in the grip of a financial crisis that could yet trigger its exit from the eurozone, anxiety is never far from many people's minds.
Except perhaps in some of the best Greek yoga retreats, where meditation against a backdrop of a blue Mediterranean sea and sky guarantees relaxation.
Greece's tourism industry needs all the support it can get at the moment, so by heading to one of these oases of calm visitors will help, in a small way at least, to ease that tension.

Silver Island Yoga

Shimmering: Silver Island
Shimmering: Silver Island
Silver Island Yoga
A private island located just a few miles from the mainland, set against the backdrop of the Aegean Sea, Silver Island is an ideal base for this exclusive yoga destination.
Evia, Greece's second largest island, which is connected via bridges to the mainland, is the getaway to this sanctuary.
Silver Island has been the Christie family home and working olive farm for many generations. Today, sisters Lissa and Claire Christie run the yoga activities.
There's no electricity or Internet on the island, making the retreat suitable for those looking for a digital detox -- or an escape from the negative headlines about Greece.
It's eco-friendly too.
Two houses, the Main House and the Villa, provide accommodation for only a handful of people at a time.
There are just five simply but beautifully decorated twin rooms.
There's also a lighthouse, a small church, 2,000 olive trees and numerous paths spreading along Silver Island's 60 acres.
Its name, "Silver," stems from the shimmering leaves of the plentiful olive trees.
Two hourly yoga classes per day take place in the open air, overlooking the ocean.
The outdoors and indoor dining space, where vegetarian and organic meals are served, enjoy equally gorgeous views.
Silver Island; +27 72 624 2242

Itha108 Yoga Studio - Ithaki

Discreet luxury: Itha108 Yoga Studio
Discreet luxury: Itha108 Yoga Studio
Itha108 Yoga Studio
Tucked away in Piso Aetos, on the mystical island of Ithaki, this discreetly luxurious retreat is the creation of Ingrid Gottschalk.
"When I am on my own I sit quietly and let the energy talk to me. It is a healing and creative energy, exactly what I felt when I saw the land for the first time", says Gottschalk.
Each of the six bedrooms has been designed individually.
All of them are en-suite and air-conditioned, with mosquito nets, wood paneled ceilings and balconies with clear views across the Ionian Sea towards Kefalonia island.
Traditional craftsmanship from India's Rajasthan state is used to decorate the venue.
There are also three Mongolian yurts available for one to four people, one of which has a removable roof cap, perfect for stargazing.
Itha108 offers walk-in classes for the public during the fall, winter and spring months.
From May to September there are numerous retreats taking place, during which the yoga shalas are closed to the public.
Yoga classes take place in the two yoga shalas -- one outdoors and one indoors.
During the cooler months, the indoor yoga shala benefits from underfloor heating while the outdoor shala "Sundara" is shaded by trees and cooled by Ionian sea breezes.
Itha108, Agios Ioannis, 28300 Ithaca; +30 26740 31463

Aegialis hotel & Spa - Amorgos

Lean in: Aegalis Hotel and Spa
Lean in: Aegalis Hotel and Spa
Aegalis Hotel & Spa
Even without the yoga, Amorgos, situated in the most eastern part of the Cyclades islands group, radiates a zen-like aura.
The island is famous for its role in Luc Besson's film "The Big Blue," and is known for its great scuba diving.
Well situated in the northern part of the island, the Aegialis Hotel & Spa stands on a hillside overlooking the bay of Aegiali.
Owners Irene and Nikitas Giannakopoulos are both from the island and their dream is to promote Amorgos's beauty worldwide.
The hotel was significantly upgraded in 2008, when it opened its Lalon Idor Thalasso Spa.
Yoga and holistic wellness retreats are offered here amid the island's Cycladic architecture and air of calm.
This year's calendar goes on until October, with instructors from all over the world.
The yoga retreats take place in two outdoor spaces offering incredible views.
There's also an indoor space within the spa.

Yoga Rocks - Crete

Yoga Rocks, Greece
Perfect balance: Yoga Rocks
Courtesy Danny Paradise
Yoga Rocks occupies a breathtaking location on a small cliff overlooking unspoilt beaches at Triopetra on Crete's virgin south coast.
Hosts Phil and Helen, both from the UK, offer week-long retreats aimed at deepening yoga practices away from daily routines, under the guidance of renowned yoga retreat teachers.
The yoga menu caters for all types, from active yoga styles like Ashtanga to more "fashionable" approaches such as Vinyasa Flow and Shiva Rea's Prana Flow.
Meditation, pranayama (breath and energy management) and chanting sessions are often available.
The simple en-suite rooms have stunning balcony or terrace views of the Mediterranean Sea.
Outdoor and indoor yoga shalas, meditation by the beach and healthy food based on the world-renowned Cretan diet all help elevate yoga routines.

Atsitsa Bay - Skyros

Verdant gardens: Atsitsa Bay
Verdant gardens: Atsitsa Bay
Atsitsa Bay
Based at the lesser-known but magnificent island of Skyros, on the peaceful side of the Aegean Sea, Atsitsa Bay offers yoga vacations in a relaxed but lively environment.
The retreat sits next to the sea and is circled by a glorious pine forest.
Atsitsa offers one and two-week community vacations with morning and afternoon yoga sessions, suitable for all levels.
This year's calendar runs until the end of September.
Yoga practice here can be further enhanced by various other activities such as mindfulness, life coaching, meditation and reflexology.
Guests can also take part in other recreational activities such as windsurfing, circus skills and music.
Rustic and cozy twin-share bamboo huts set within Atsitsa's verdant gardens of pine and fruit trees provide simple yet comfortable accommodation.
The retreat is full board and includes healthy Mediterranean meals.
Atsitsa Bay, Skyros; +44 1983 865 566


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Ed Makowski Head Shot (1)
Photo by Zoe Finney

Hi there – I’m a writer and poet living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In spring 2019 I received my bachelor’s degree in the journalism program at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, with an additional Digital Arts and Culture Certificate.

Since October 2018, I’ve worked as the Marketing & Communications Manager at Riveredge Nature Center. In my position at Riveredge I have the opportunity to research and write about nature-based topics, edit the writing of naturalists, and sometimes ghostwrite for colleagues. Additionally, Riveredge has provided an opportunity to work on my photography skills. Here is the Riveredge Instagram account, which I curate. See my personal Instagram account here.

In the past I’ve worked as the Communications Specialist at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, have been a Pfister Hotel Narrator (story gatherer in residence) at Milwaukee’s historic “Grand Dame of the West” Pfister Hotel. Prior to that, at Milwaukee’s NPR station 89.7 WUWM, I’ve been a contributor of poetry, interviews and essays to the Lake Effect show.

As time permits I work on other projects that have been published in places such as Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, SIDEBURN Magazine, OnMilwaukeeMedia Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bike Federation, and Ozaukee Magazine.

I love being active in every season. When it’s warm I ride motorcycles and bicycles to places where you can hear the birds. When it’s cold I chase deer, split firewood, and (if there’s snow) ski cross country.

For booking, publishing, press inquiries, etc. contact edmmakowski [at] gmail.com

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A conventional definition of Quality includes literacy, numeracy and life skills, and is directly linked to such critical components as teachers, content, methodologies, curriculum, examination systems, policy, planning, and management and administration.

An education system with characteristics that may be considered of poor quality, in terms of current thinking, can be a barrier to enrolment and completion.  Families and students who live in difficult circumstances will not spend financial and time resources on an education that they do not consider to be of quality.

There is no single definition of educational quality.  In addition, the understanding of what constitutes a quality education is evolving.  A conventional definition remains important—it includes literacy, numeracy and life skills, and is directly linked to such critical components as teachers, content, methodologies, curriculum, examination systems, policy, planning, and management and administration.  Basic academics remain essential.

There is a demand, however, for education to reflect upon its relevance to the modern world.  While in the past much of the emphasis in education related to cognitive understanding and development, now there is a need to also address the social and other dimensions of learning.  Education is expected to make a contribution to addressing sustainable human development, peace and security, universal values, informed decision-making, and the quality of life and individual, family, societal, and global levels.

Our concern is that children are able to learn through a quality education.  One way to address quality is to consider the inputs, processes, environments and outputs that surround and foster, or hamper, learning.  We can then consider these at two levels:  at the level of the learner in her or his learning environment and the level of the system/organization that creates and supports the organized learning experience.  Using a framework developed by Pigozzi (see further reading) there are 10 dimensions of quality to consider.

At the level of the learner:

  • 1. Seeking out learners
  • 2. What the learner brings
  • 3. Content
  • 4. Processes
  • 5. Learning environment

At the level of the system/organization

  • 6. Managerial and administrative structure and processes
  • 7. Implementation of good policies
  • 8. Appropriate legislative framework
  • 9. Resources
  • 10. Measurement of learning outcomes

Seeking out learners

A commitment to the right to education means that education must be available without discrimination.  This underscores an active commitment to reach out to those that traditionally have been unreached including, the poor, girls, working children, children affected by conflict, children with disabilities, and those with nomadic lifestyles

What the learner brings

A quality education has to consider the learner as an active participant and a central part of educational efforts.  Learners bring to their learning, and those who learn alongside them, a diverse set of experiences, characteristics, skills, and conditions reflecting prior and current situations, and which can present obstacles and opportunities in the way in which they learn.

All of these characteristics determine how a learner learns, behaves in a learning environment, and interacts with the teacher and other students, and how s/he interprets the material that is presented.  A quality education has to take all these aspects into account.

Content is a well-understood component of quality.  But, much of what is taught worldwide today may not be highly relevant to learners.  While we are particularly concerned about knowledge and skills acquisition, a quality education cannot dismiss the critical facts and information that are important for constructing knowledge and acquiring skills, including the role of communities as key providers and “interpreters” of content as it is turned into knowledge.

Processes, including pedagogies, are a frequently overlooked aspect of quality—behavior is influenced by observation and practiced through action.  Much learning, especially communication and “soft” skills is a function of processes as much as content.

In addition, how knowledge, skills and values are transmitted is as important a part of curriculum as what about these is learned.  Because, in fact, the process is part of “what” is learned.

Learning environment

The learning environment influences learning in many ways, but is particularly under-estimated in relation to its impact on the development of identity.

There must be adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities accessible to all and, if possible, health and nutrition services in the vicinity.  Policies and their implementation must promote physical and mental health, safety, and security.  While the physical environment is better understood, the psycho-social one, which is at least as important, deserves serious attention so that practices such as gender discrimination, bullying, corporal punishment, and forced work are eliminated.

Managerial and administrative structure and processes

The overall structure and organization of an education program usually serves as the “philosophical underpinning” for what occurs throughout all aspects of the conduct of the learning program.  A quality education requires a systematic approach that supports effective learning.

Education must be structured and organized such that it is learner-centered.  There are few institutions and/or bureaucracies that are learner-centered.  For example, timetables must be flexible enough to be able to keep children who are at risk from dropping out or from otherwise losing their right to education.

Structures and processes must be fair and transparent, with clear rules, roles and responsibilities.  Teachers need to be facilitated in their work and education needs to be “approachable” by and inclusive of parents and communities.

Implementation of good policies

Policies alone do not catalyze change.  It is the implementation of good policies, that are based on sound evidence, that enables education programs to change and adapt and improve over time.

Appropriate legislative framework

At a national level, an appropriate legislative framework that is implemented reliably is essential for the long-term sustainability of a quality education.  This framework needs to be understood by the public and be visibly able to facilitate changes in the education system if they are necessary.

In situations where there are large numbers of out of school children there might be a need for compensatory action to ensure equality of opportunity to a quality education—that is, equity concerns.

A quality education requires the full range of available resources be brought to bear in support of education—financial, human, and material.

Allocating resources to support quality education takes a long-term view.  It also requires re-visiting the conventional view of what is a resource and looking to local and non-conventional sources of support—whether it be community participation or borrowing a financial literacy curriculum from a private sector partner, for example.

Measurement of learning outcomes
If learning is the key outcome of a quality education, then it is essential to address leaning outcomes.

As noted earlier, as the definition of what makes up a quality education evolves and expands, expected learning outcomes now go beyond achievement in conventional academic subjects.  The following simple classification of the main types of learning outcomes to be pursued (with examples of what they might include) may be helpful:

  • Knowledge:  the essential cognitive achievement that all learners should reach (including literacy, numeracy, core subject knowledge);
  • Values:  solidarity, gender equality, tolerance, mutual understanding , respect for human rights, non-violence; respect for human life, and dignity;
  • Skills or competencies:  a secure command of how to solve problems, to communicate clearly and with respect; to experiment, to work in teams, to live together and interact with those who are different, and to learn how to learn; and;
  • Behaviors:  the willingness to put into practice what has been learned.

Further reading

Mary Joy Pigozzi, “What is the Quality of Education? (A UNESCO perspective)” in Cross-National Studies of the Quality of Education:  Planning their Design and Managing their Impact.  2006.  pp.39-50.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, Summary Report.  Toward Universal Learning:  Recommendations from the Learning Metrics Task Force.  2013.   43 pp.


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NEW! Miranda’s Blog – August 2012

Miranda-Walker_blog_v2bHi and welcome!

Each month I’ll be blogging about all things early years. Alongside, you’ll be able to access factsheets and other handy resources from Planet Vocational, so do register for free access. I’m so pleased that Nelson Thornes is offering this support for practitioners and students just when it’s needed most – as we all get our heads around the revised Early Years Foundation Stage! Nelson Thornes have also ensured that my new book, A Practical Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage, will hit the shelves in time for the autumn term, thanks to some super speedy publishing! Go Nelson Thornes!

This month I’d like to focus on change. There’s certainly a lot of it about…
The revised EYFS becomes mandatory for providers in England on 1st September. Practitioners are currently researching, planning and training to ensure they’re ready to meet – or exceed – the new requirements. Tutors are also busy getting themselves up-to-speed, ready to teach the next cohort of students all they will need to know.

In practice of course, a lot of what practitioners do day-to-day within settings will not change at all. On 1st September, children themselves will be no different than they were on 31st August! But with the significant revision to the EYFS, everyone will be making some changes.

The success of these will depend on many factors, and a period of monitoring is the key to ensuring that any changes introduced achieve the desired results – this applies from changes made to the educational programme to ensure due focus is given to the new Prime areas of learning, to changes made to the assessment process to accommodate the new Progress check at age two. Time is also needed to allow changes to “bed in.” But one factor that may impact on the early success of changes made in any area is often overlooked – how individual practitioners feel about and cope with change.

It’s entirely natural for us to feel a bit apprehensive about anything new – in life, not just in early years! Especially if we felt comfortable and secure with what went before. But change can also be an exciting prospect, challenging us, broadening our horizons and helping us to grow and develop. High quality settings will help their staff to embrace the changes ahead by providing the training and discussion needed to foster confidence. But it’s likely that some of us will be naturally predisposed to embrace change more easily than others.

One thing we can be sure of, best practice and mandatory requirements will keep developing and changing throughout our careers, so where professional practice is concerned, the ability to respond positively to change is an important skill. You can read about techniques that can be used to develop this at

If you’d like to influence future early years changes, you can respond to the Government’s call for suggestions on how to make childcare more affordable and accessible. To take part in the consultation, visit by 31st August.