Case Study: Market Research – Kangan Institute

The Skills and Job Centre is a one-stop-shop for anyone seeking to explore tertiary studies, training, job and career options. Following the closure of automotive factories in Victoria, many employees that were made redundant registered with the Skills and Jobs Centre to reskill and find new careers.

Social Garden was engaged by Kangan Institute in 2018 to survey each former automotive worker registered with the Skills and Jobs Centre. The research was conducted on behalf of the Victorian State government.

Data from the survey provides stakeholders and policy planners with a better understanding of how automotive employees transitioned careers since the factory closures.

The research was also an opportunity to ask how former students are coping in their professional and personal lives. Often, opening this dialogue led to the arrangement of further support services.

Working closely with Pip Horsman, Group Manager of Market Insights & Product Innovation, Social Garden consolidated a scope of works and developed a process for the market research.

Social Garden was given a database of approximately 500 ex-automotive employees by the Kangan Institute. This database was cleaned of duplicates and uploaded to Salesforce Service Cloud to allow for call recording and profile enrichment.

Social Garden took the survey script, which consisted of 24 questions, and created an automated form to streamline the process. The responses to the survey were recorded and automatically uploaded to a live spreadsheet.

Any respondents that indicated they would be interested in further support services triggered an email to Kangan Institute’s team. The email outlined exactly which services were requested as well as any additional relevant information.

As an ongoing project, the automated call process is expected to provide rich data regarding the transition process of declining and dead industry in Victoria. In addition to providing the government with substantial analysis for future industry closure, the project provides real support to those having undergone redundancy as a result of a changing economy.

The periodic calls, every three months, ensure participants remain engaged without being overwhelmed with survey requests. It also allows a seasonal snapshot of employment, industry and other economic forces that may be affecting future employment prospects.

As a result of this project, we expect that once complete, the information gathered will prove fruitful for more than the future of employees in labour and trade industries. Indeed, the insight gathered into professional and personal coping mechanisms, and ready uptake of new jobs ought to translate to other industries and states that are expected to undergo similar turmoil.