Excellence in
Economic Development
Excellence in Economic Development is iED’s professional Standard, giving organisations and teams independent recognition of their economic development capability, supported by a free Self Assessment and Skills Diagnostic Toolkit for members.
Our Self Assessment and Skills Diagnostic Toolkit, provided free of charge to iED members, helps organisations, teams and individual practitioners see where they stand across seven modules, understand what good and excellent practice look like, and plan how to close the gap. Use it to identify skills gaps, target CPD, inform recruitment and build the case for investment.
The toolkit is modular, so you can focus on the areas most relevant to you. Module 7 (Leadership, Capability and Impact) applies to everyone and is required for the full Standard.
Organisations and teams can then seek independent validation through the Excellence in Economic Development Standard, module by module if preferred. Individuals are recognised through iED membership and the CPD Programme.
The modules are:
- Module 1: Research and Analysis
- Module 2: Strategic Planning and Programme Design
- Module 3: Appraisals and Evaluations
- Module 4: People and Partnership Skills
- Module 5: Operations Planning, Implementation and Project Management
- Module 6: Understanding and Supporting Business
- Module 7: Leadership, Capability and Impact
Once you have completed the Deep Dive for the modules you want recognised, you can apply to iED for independent validation. A module is awarded where at least 70% of the relevant competences are validated at Established (3) or above. The full Standard is awarded when all modules relevant to your organisation, plus Module 7, have been validated. The Standard is valid for three years, with a light-touch renewal, and fees are proportionate to the number of modules submitted (details on request via admin@ied.co.uk).
If you would like a free copy of the Self Assessment Toolkit, please enter your email address below
If you would like to speak to someone at the iED about the toolkit, in the first instance please email: admin@iED.co.uk
Case Study - Enterprise St Helena awarded Excellence in Economic Development
Economic development practitioners from Saint Helena Island, the remote British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean some 1,200 miles from the south-west of Africa which is currently only accessible by sea, became the first ever recipients of the iED’s Excellence in Economic Development standard.
After receiving their Excellence in Economic Development certificate from Sir Vince Cable, former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Niall and Kirsty from ESH spoke of their pride at receiving the iED’s quality kitemark: “We applied for Excellence in Economic Development because we wanted a systematic economic development process for the Island, one that would challenge us as we strive for improvement and innovation. The award from the iED will undoubtedly help us to protect the Island for future generations.”
They added: “Mapping out our competencies and development needs through self-assessment gave us the confidence to apply for external assessment and the journey we have been on with the iED has been one worth taking. It is also one that I would fully recommend to other organisations considering applying for the excellence standard. Receiving this award signifies the body of work undertaken from everyone at ESH.”
(Case Study developed during a previous iteration of the toolkit)
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