Comino Foundation
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable organization |
| Registration no. | England and Wales: 312875 |
| Focus | Education/training |
| Location |
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| Origins | Founded in 1971 |
|
Area served
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England and Wales |
| Website | www |
The Comino Foundation is a United Kingdom-based educational charitable organization. It was founded in 1971 by, and takes its name, from Australia-born engineer and inventor Demetrius Comino and his daughter Anna.
Known as Dimitri to his friends, Comino founded Dexion, the storage system manufacturing business in 1947. Dexion is still marketed today as part of the Norway-based multinational Constructor Group and the Australia-based GUD Holdings.
Following the 1968 public flotation of Dexion, Comino arranged income to establish the Comino Foundation. He wanted to support the development in the UK of a prosperous and responsible society by promoting approaches to learning which would lead to new understandings of the process of achievement. He was also committed to changing British attitudes to industry, particularly manufacturing.
Throughout his career, Comino had looked to develop generic approaches to practical problem-solving. He devised a simple 'Problem-solving Procedure' (PSP) in 1956; he then defined ingredients for problem solving and achievement - PACRA (Purpose-Alternatives-Criteria-Resources-Action); and then promoted the GRASP process (Getting Results And Solving Problems - also known as Getting Results and Seizing Potential).
An early activity was a series of discussion dinners organised by Edward de Bono between 1976 and 1980. Comino also engaged in debate with Keith Jackson who was researching problem-solving at the then Henley Administrative Staff College and the Foundation part-funded Jackson for several years as a Professor at the Centre for Education Management at Bulmershe College of Higher Education near Reading.
Comino was determined, however, to deploy his GRASP approach which came to the attention of Dr Eric Bates CBE who was Head of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Education Unit. This Unit part funded pioneering work on applying the GRASP approach in schools in Dudley and elsewhere. On his retirement from the DTI, Bates was persuaded by Comino to become the Education Fellow for the Foundation. In this role he deployed GRASP through several Comino Centres over the period 1977 to 2002 with a number of papers being written. The relationships with these Centres stimulated other initiatives - for example, the STEM Leadership qualification with the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University and Intense Mentoring at Homeground, a centre to support homeless young people in Liverpool. Apart from the Comino Centres, the Foundation also funded the use of GRASP in training staff to develop advanced techniques to improve the development of children with motor disorders at the PACE Centre. Work with some of the Comino Centres continues with the most recent being established at the RSA Academy in Tipton.
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