Introduction

Cambridge Education Consultants (CEC) was set up in 1983 as a joint venture between Mott MacDonald and the University of Cambridge, to promote education, training and human resource development. Mott MacDonald is one of the UK’s leading multi-disciplinary independent consultancy companies.

CEC’s mission

CEC’s aim is to provide the highest quality education consultancy services in support of educational development worldwide.

CEC’s range of professional services includes:

• project design
• project management
• education economics and financing
• institutional development
• social development
• teacher training
• curriculum development
• textbook and learning materials development
• monitoring and evaluation
• project-linked or separately arranged study tours for key education officials.

CEC’s organisation

CEC has its headquarters in Cambridge and has a staff of 18 full-time educational professionals (including staff on long-term overseas assignments), all with extensive experience in the UK and developing countries.

Staff members perform three key functions:

• education consultancy
• professional support to project field managers
• development of new business.

This structure allows CEC to offer clients a high-quality service by involving the same professional staff in delivering inputs and managing services. In addition, CEC maintains an international database of independent education and training consultants, many of whom are currently working for CEC on short- and long-term contracts (employment opportunities). CEC is also able to draw on the resources of the Mott MacDonald Group and its 60 offices worldwide.

CEC’s staff

CEC is unique among UK consulting firms in the education sector in its recruitment policy: head office staff are qualified education, economics and social development professionals who have received additional management training. This approach ensures that the highest quality technical assistance and management support is given to all projects.

CEC has a small core of professional staff whose existing skills and skills development are linked to current and future professional service areas. The core team includes a number of senior staff, as well as recent graduates and staff with teaching experience, both in the UK and in developing countries. The team is supported by a team of experienced administrators. balon patlatan maymun kurye futbolekseni saglikturka arabasec gozde

Cambridge Education Associates (CEA)

CEC regularly works alongside its sister company, CEA, both in overseas markets and in the UK. CEA, set up in 1987, is an international education consultancy offering a wide range of support and expertise in the nursery, primary, secondary and special school phases to the education sector. CEA is also the leading provider of school inspections to the UK Office for Standards in Education ("OFSTED"), inspecting in all phases.

As well as holding OFSTED's largest contract for national school inspections, CEA is currently managing three large contracts in the UK educational sector, as follows:

• Islington Local Education Authority Outsourcing (the first outsourcing to the private sector of an entire education authority)
• the DfEE Teachers' Appraisal & Assessment Contract (a national contract providing assessment and appraisal of teachers' applications for promotion to higher pay scales)
• part of the New Opportunity Fund-ICT training programme (providing information and communication technology training to teachers)

In addition to its consultancy and inspection activities, CEA is deeply involved in professional and institutional development in education at a strategic level. CEA has played a major role in the development and implementation of Local Management of Schools (LMS) within the UK, and has consulted in this area in Europe and Australasia. Headteacher and inspector training, curriculum development, strategic and financial management and the implementation of appraisal and monitoring are all areas in which CEA has a substantial expertise and a solid track record. Other business areas include the provision of interim senior managers to LEAs and to schools, handled by CEA Recruitment.

For further information, please visit the CEA website.

CEC’s partnerships

CEC also works in partnership with a number of other specialist organisations depending on the requirements of a project. Particularly strong links exist with a number of Cambridge-based educational institutions, including the University itself, through a grouping known as the Cambridge Education Resource (CER). CEC plays a leading role in this association.

CEC also has strong links with European, North American and Australasian institutions and organisations specialising in education development services.