Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is a consulting service primarily concerned with the design, implementation and evaluation of community and economic development policies and strategies. Familiar with the problems and opportunities that arise in communities, towns or cities, Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is competent working with policy and program development at local, national and international levels.

Bank of I.D.E.A.S. works in close partnership with clients from the public, private and community sectors pursuing creative and innovative approaches, and emphasising the value of learning from the experiences and lessons of others.

Established in 1990, Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has expanded into an international network of firms and associations. Bank of I.D.E.A.S. incorporates the central firm, Bank of I.D.E.A.S., and the Centre for Small Town Development. Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has undertaken a wide variety of assignments throughout Australia as well as in a number of other countries including South East and Central Asia, Southern Africa, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Western Europe, Canada, United States and the Middle East.

Principles of Operation

In all its endeavours Bank of I.D.E.A.S. applies the following operating principles:

• Promoting participatory development where all residents of local communities are recognised as important stakeholders in development and provided with the tools and opportunities to pursue common preferred futures.
• Enhancing the visions and skills of individuals, groups and communities whilst promoting practical approaches to achieve cooperation.
• Facilitating development based on learning from the experiences and lessons of others through the exchange of ideas, strategies, resources and contacts.
• Promoting an enterprising response to change and development where attitudes, skills, processes and organisations are enhanced.
• Helping residents and development agents to analyse the dynamics of communities in order to maximise their opportunities and resources to become healthy, sustainable and vibrant places to live, learn and work.

Areas of Expertise

Bank of I.D.E.A.S. is skilled and experienced in the following fields of activity:

• Job Creation:

Initiatives that expand the number, quality and variety of jobs and training opportunities, and increase local incomes.

• Business Development:

Policies and approaches to facilitate the growth of entrepreneurial activity within a given locality or amongst a specific group of people.

• Small Town Economic Renewal:

Actions to stimulate local employment and economic opportunities while enhancing the characteristics that make rural life attractive.

• Local Economic Profiling and Opportunity Identification:

Assistance to enable communities to identify local needs, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities as the factors that form the basis for future economic development strategies. Includes practical strategies that enable communities to initiate, plan and implement their own social and economic development.

• Youth Development:      (Click here for more details)

Initiatives that promote the involvement and development of young people and their communities. This includes the preparation of national youth policies, the design and implementation of youth development programs and youth enterprise policies, programs and initiatives.

Achievements

Between 1990 and 2006, Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has worked in over 1000 communities throughout Australia, New Zealand, Southern Africa, Canada, United States and the Middle East, whilst also preparing national policies and programs in more than 20 counties.

Our international clients have included development and government agencies such as the International Labour Office (ILO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Youth Unit, UNESCO, Commonwealth Youth Program (CYP), ESCAP, Commonwealth Secretariat and AusAID.

In terms of community and economic initiatives within Australia, we have been responsible for the introduction of a number of key programs now operating across the country, including Business Retention and Expansion, Community Builders and Community Opportunities workshops.

Since our inception in 1990, we have been instrumental in assisting its clients to bring about a number of important social and economic developments. Within this context, our achievements include:

Economic, Enterprise and Employment Strategy Design and Management

Projects undertaken by Bank of I.D.E.A.S. in this field include the following.

• Formulation, implementation and management of the Community Employment Development Unit, and its initial range of services in New Zealand.
• Formulation of regional economic strategies for a number of regions in West Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.
• Research for the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme on 'Young People and Self Employment'.
• Research for the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme on "Improving opportunities in Education and Employment' for young women and men in Rural Australia' (current)
• Coordination and management of the Natal-KwaZulu Job Creation and Enterprise Development Project in South Africa.
• Preparation of a redundancy response strategy for Tioxide (Australia) in Burnie, Tasmania.
• Design and implementation of the Business Retention and Expansion Initiative in most states of Australia, and South Africa.
• Design of the process for the establishment of an Economic Development Strategy for Western Australia in the Deputy Premier's Office.
• Evaluation of Indonesian employment and enterprise promotion strategies for the ILO.
• Designers of the Competitive EDGE (Enterprise Development for Growth and Equity) campaign of the National Small Business Council, including the 40 Town Program focussing on forty small towns in South Africa.
• Consultants to the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NNCCI) on a number of projects including the design and implementation of a national campaign entitled Creating a Participatory Economic Culture, the establishment of a national economic development program, and the design and support for a three-year regional chamber development program.
• Preparation of a report to the National Planning Commission on the human resource demands of the mining industry in Namibia.
• Design of three major enterprise promotion strategies for the Government of Indonesia for the ILO.
• Preparation of a three year strategic plan for the Targeted Assistance Division of the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, South Africa's national SMME promotion agency.
• Preparation of a project document for the UNDP and ILO on the improvement of work conditions, creation of social protection and enterprise development within the urban informal sector in the Philippines, Metro Manila, Davao and Zamboanga City.
• Preparation of a strategy document for the Local Business Service Centre (LBSC) program of Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, a national network of community-based enterprise promotion agencies support by Ntsika throughout South Africa (1998).
• Preparation of a report on best practice in small enterprise promotion and development for the International Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development. Managed by the ILO in Geneva.
• Design of a regional project to promote the development of small and medium sized enterprises in Central Asia, which was a part of the former Soviet Union, with an emphasis on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for the ILO.
• Investigation into the legal and regulatory environment for small and medium sized businesses in Uzbekistan on behalf of the ILO and UNDP.
• Preparation of a case study and strategy document on the Okutumbatumba Hawkers' Association, an association of some 2,000 hawkers in Katutura-Windhoek, Namibia.
• Development of a training and resource package for workers assisting the development of community enterprises in Namibia.
• Consultancy input to fifteen (15) government departments in Australia on employment and economic development policies and programs.
• Design and implementation of the 'StreetLIFE Program' in Victoria, Australia.
• Preparation of a strategy on the theme 'Women in Alternative Tourism Projects' in Indonesia for the ILO.
• Design of a series of strategies on Enterprise Driven Development for the National Economic Initiative in South Africa.

Youth Development Policy, Strategy Design and Evaluation      (Click here for more details)

• Preparation of a variety of papers and manuals on 'Developing a National Youth Policy' for the CYP International Secretariat (London) and regional centres in Asia and Africa.
• Facilitation of the process for the development of National Youth Policies for Botswana, Namibia, and Malawi for UNESCO.
• Consultants to the CYP on National Youth Policy development in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Singapore.
• Organisation and facilitation of an international training event for consultants in the facilitation of National Youth Policy.
• Preparation of the Strategic Plan for 1998 to 1999 for the National Youth Commission in South Africa.
• Organisation and facilitation of two workshops in the Asian regions on National Youth Policy formulation.
• Consultants to the National Youth Council of Namibia in the preparation of a National Youth Enterprise Policy for Namibia.
• Consultants to the National Youth Council of Namibia on the development of the National Youth Enterprise Resource Strategy - incorporating a guide book, a youth expo and investigations toward the formulation of a youth chamber of commerce.
• Advice and assistance in the development of enterprise programs for the Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre in Namibia. Review of training programs and design of new training modules.
• Design, development and evaluation of a Youth Employment Strategy for the Government of Fiji.
• Preparation of the 'National Strategy to Promote Economic Participation by Young People', in South Africa.
• Evaluation of youth enterprise strategies in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia for the ILO.
• Evaluation of 'Community Youth Link Employment Program' and 'Youth Opportunities Program' in Western Australia.
• Consultants to Youth Business Initiative, in New South Wales.
• Evaluation of the "Youth Outreach Program' (two occasions)
• Facilitation of youth planning and consultation programs for a variety of local government councils and economic development agencies.
• Invited resource person role for a variety of international events including a United Nations meeting of Ministers of Youth, Meeting of Commonwealth Youth Ministers etc.
• International review of youth enterprise policies, programs and best practices for the ILO.

Rural Community Survival and Revival Development Projects

• Development consultants, conference presenters and workshop facilitators in over 500 small rural towns in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, and Namibia.
• Facilitators of community planning events in over 60 rural communities in Australia.
• Project consultants to the Small Towns Strategy in South Africa.
• Project consultants to the design and implementation of the 'Doing More with Agriculture' Initiative in Western Australia
• Project consultants for the design and implementation of the 'Community Builders Program' in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.
• Evaluation of Aboriginal enterprise initiatives in the South West of Western Australia.
• Organisation of six rural development study tours to rural USA.
• Organisation of three national conferences on the theme of 'Windows of Opportunity for Rural and Remote Australia'
• Researchers for the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme on "How to Generate Better Educational and Employment Opportunities for Rural Young People"

Resources and Publications      (Click here for more details)

Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has been directly responsible for the preparation of the following publications:

• Ready, Set, Go - A Community Economic Development Resource Kit containing a manual and eight videos. (Municipal Association of Victoria)
• Survival and Revival in Rural Communities for the Municipal Association of Victoria and Office of Local Government, Commonwealth of Australia.
• Youth Enterprise Matters - A Guide to Involving Young People in Economic Development. (Municipal Association of Victoria)
• Strategies for Small Business Development; A Guide for Regional and Local Authorities, NNCCI.
• Youth Enterprise Manual, (National Youth Council, Namibia).
• Youth Enterprise Media Kit - ten case studies on young people in business. National Youth Council of Namibia.
• Tools for a Competitive EDGE (Enterprise Development for Growth and Equity), South African National Small Business Council.
• Our Stake in the Future, a handbook on how to prepared national youth policies. (Commonwealth Youth Program, London).
• Young People and Self-Employment, a report on national research conducted by Bank of I.D.E.A.S. on the experience of young women and men in self-employment. National Youth Affairs Research Scheme.
• Creating an enabling environment for small and medium sized enterprise (SME) development; A guide for assessing the legal and regulatory environment. (ILO Geneva).
• Training Package on Local Small Scale Enterprises in Namibia.
• Promoting Enterprise Development in Albany, Western Australia, Commonwealth Secretariat, United Kingdom. 1991.
• Guide for Formulating and Implementing National Youth Policies in Africa, Commonwealth Youth Program, Africa Centre.
• The Commonwealth Youth Charter, Commonwealth Youth Program, London.
• Taking the Lead - A Community Resource Kit for Local Economic Development, National Business Initiative, South Africa.
• Youth Participation Indicator Manual (ESCAP)
• National Youth Policy Formulation Manual (ESCAP)
• Several resource tool kits on community economic development, for groups such as the StreetLIFE' program, 'Doing More with Agriculture' program, and the 'Community Builders' program.
• Guide on Sustainable Community Development.
• The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. Information Service.
• Business Retention and Expansion Program Kit (manuals, handbooks, surveys).
• Manual on 'Community Builders'.

Training and Workshop Leadership Experiences

The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has been directly involved in a wide range of training programs and workshops, as illustrated by the following examples:

• Keynote presenters at 25 Australian national conferences on themes associated with economic and employment development
• Workshop trainers at over 30 national or regional workshops in 12 countries on issues associated with employment creation and business development
• Coordination of five national conferences
• Facilitation of National Workshop in Fiji on Youth Enterprise for the Australian Government.
• Facilitation of Youth Development and Enterprise Workshop in Cyprus, Greece, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, New Guinea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Namibia, USA, and the United Kingdom
• Presentations to over 120 Rotary Clubs on issues related to employment and economic development and youth development.
• Organisation and facilitation of Youth Enterprise Workshop Roadshow (Victoria)
• Organisation of 'Doing More With Agriculture' Roadshow in Western Australia
• Training of facilitators in community economic development in Victoria, NSW, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and South Africa

Indigenous People's Development Strategies

The Bank of I.D.E.A.S. has been directly involved in the following projects aimed at improving the development opportunities of indigenous people.

• Preparation of a Strategic and Work Plan for the Affirmative Action Advisory Services Desk of the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Development of a Regional Plan for the Karlkarniny Regional Council, in association with Anthony Lee and Associates.
• Preparation of an Affirmative Action Policy for the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Design of an Aboriginal Employment Strategy for P&O Catering and Services with Nanga Services in Western Australia.
• Review of economic and business development practices amongst Aboriginal communities in the southwest of Western Australia, for the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority.
• Preparation of a strategic plan for the operations of the Clontarf Aboriginal College's Employment and Training Program in Western Australia.