Prospect Awards
learning design and
development
agency
A regulated awarding organisation and a community interest company; designing, sharing, facilitating, evaluating and recognising learning.
What we do
We work with and for you to deliver learning solutions that work for you and your team, your community, your business, your charity, your community organisation, your public authority, and your international work
Engagement
We facilitate processes that bring public, private and community partners together to identify issues and challenges, generate solutions and make decisions.
Standards
As Curators of the Community Development National Standards and with our Awarding Body experience we are your creative partner in using the National Standards
Development
We work with others integrating and using our values in Community Development including the National Standards to support communities to facilitate positive change
Awarding
We design, develop and award and quality assure national qualifications and customised learning programmes to support learning for social change.
Governance
We design, develop and facilitate Good Governance leadership development, supported by cloud-based modular designed governance systems.
Learning
We design and deliver Learning and Skills interventions to support inclusive growth that is equally distributed across and creates opportunities for all communities
Generating New Ideas. Solving Big Problems
Adapt and thrive, change and develop, learn and grow. Our world is changing rapidly and our work as a Learning Design and Development Agency is to help you respond to those changes – whether that’s leading on, facilitating or challenging the change.
It’s what we delight to do, with and for you, your team, your community, your organisation
Projects
Satisfied Clients
Ongoing Projects
Cups Of Coffee

Why we are different
We are a Learning Design and Development Agency and a regulated Awarding Organisation, offering qualifications and accreditation in Community Development, Engagement, Governance and Learning – we are collaborative active participants in your and our work. Our values of Social Justice, Collective Action, Anti-discrimination, Working Learning and Growing Together and Community Empowerment, support our focus on Individual and Collective Agency. What and how we do is important to us and we think important to you also. We are a Community Interest Company and as a not-for-profit, with an asset lock we invest any surplus into work supporting our Vision – Learning for Everyone – Everywhere!
Our Latest Work
Leadership Capacity across the island of Ireland, Belfast City Region Deal Employability Skills, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Pharmacy Forum NI, International Association of Community Development.
Leadership Development and Capacity
Prospect Awards has been commissioned by the Institute of Public Health Ireland (IPH) to produce a scoping report on the theme of leadership and capacity building in public health on the island of Ireland. The IPH new strategic framework 2018-2022 set out the area of leadership and capacity building in public health as one of their five main areas of work. Prospect Awards has been tasked with helping to inform how best IPH can support leadership and capacity building for public health within an all-Ireland context and complement existing programmes. As part of this work Prospect Awards will talk with leaders and practitioners across the island of Ireland to ensure that as wide and informed perspectives as possible are included in this scoping report.
Governance Support
Prospect Awards is currently engaged on an interim basis providing governance support for the Pharmacy Forum NI. Supporting the leadership team and the board in ensuring continued robustness and effectiveness
Employability and Skills
Prospect Awards has just completed an extended interim project with Belfast City Council. As part of this work it authored the Economic Development aspect of the BCC Developer Contribution Policy. Devised and assessed the Social Value approach for the Giants Park Leisure led the development of over £150m and provided expert input, particularly on economic inactivity into the Employability Stream of the successful Belfast Region City Deal together with the overall design of the employability strand.
Working with Communities
Working directly with local communities has always been a core area of our work. Currently, we are working in collaboration with Regenerate to provide community development and capacity building support to local groups and communities across the Portadown area in Northern Ireland. Using asset-based community development approaches we are supporting local community leadership development and facilitating wider community involvement enhancing longer-term sustainability.
Qualification Development
We have two qualifications in Community Engagement at Level 2 and 3 on the list of regulated national qualifications and we have development plans in place for Level 3, 4 and 5 in Governance together with an Employability Suite at Level 1-3. We are creating a range of bespoke National Qualifications together with Development Awards and Endorsed Programmes
Community Engagement
As a community development organisation, promoting and facilitating community engagement in decision making is central to our work. In 2017, we completed a comprehensive research study on engagement practices across Northern Ireland contributing to the implementation of community planning. To strengthen our work in this area further, we have completed the Foundations in Public Participation professional development programme with the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and utilise these planning tools and methods to inform and guide our engagement work. Currently, we are engaged in facilitating the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough ‘Community Voluntary Sector’ Panel and supporting the development of community engagement with local communities of geography, identity and interest
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Local Government
Prospect Awards is currently contracted By Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to design and deliver a number of customised Community Development, Good Relations and Leadership programmes across the borough. A range of approaches including informal facilitation, training, mentoring, good practice visits and networking opportunities are being developed to support participants to enhance leadership and resilience skills.
International Work
Learning Design & Development Agency
Our work demands and our partners demand high-level capability and commitment to a value-based focus on our work. With wide-ranging and senior experience across adult, community and vocational learning, community development and governance, we believe we can add value to your work.
Prospect learning designs are based upon National and International Standards like the Nolan Standards for Public Life and the International Association for Community Development Standards. Our work is organised around three interlinked themes.
- Good design that comes with a vision for the learning
- Appreciation of the learning context influenced by access and innovation
- Based on evidence and research providing a holistic view of the learning design
- Design analysis and insight into the problem
- Define the area to focus on
- Develop potential solutions
- Prototype and Deliver Solutions that work
- Programme management

“If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must be changed” ―
“Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.” –Charles Eames
meet the prospect team
our Vision – Learning for Everyone – Everywhere!
our Mission – Making OUR learning journey a joy 🙂
Anna has an Honours Degree in English and Afro-Asian Studies and a Master’s in Human Rights and Equal Opportunities and a distinction in her MSc in Governance and Community Planning at Ulster University. Anna holds Post Graduate Dips in Youth and Community Work and in Women’s Studies from Liverpool University. Anna is the President and a European Director of the International Association for Community Development. Anna is our Director for Communities responsible for Qualification Development and Community Development
Anna ClarkeGary has over twenty years’ experience as a senior executive, independent professional consultant and non-executive director in health, education, government, statutory bodies, private enterprises and the voluntary sector. He continues to serve the community in multiple capacities within the educational, health and voluntary sectors providing guidance, development and insight to those involved in leadership and to the learners in the community. Gary is our Non-Executive Director and Independent Chair
Gary HaireBrendan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the British Sociological Association and the Association for Learning Technology. He has an Honours degree in Applied Social Studies & Community Relations, an MA in Social Policy, a PGCE in Social Science and Post Graduate Certificates in Management, and Distance and Open Learning from the OU. Brendan is our ‘Director for Learning’ responsible for Learner Experience and Centre Quality Assurance
Brendan Clarke