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Work experience and sector-based work academies are key elements of the UK Government's Youth Contract measures. As part of the Youth Contract which was implemented from April 2012, it was announced that an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places would be made available over three years. This will offer at least 100,000 opportunities a year and will offer a place for every 18-24 year old who wants one, before they enter the Work Programme. This report contains findings from the quantitative survey with 3,000 employers offering work experience opportunities or taking part in sector-based work academies. It examines the characteristics of employers; the success of employer engagement and marketing and how employers have responded to the work experience offer; and how different types of employers have responded to the policy. This survey of work experience and sector-based work academy employers forms part of the evaluation of the Youth Contract. The evaluation consists of a mixed methods approach including in-house analysis of administrative data as well as externally commissioned research involving interviews and surveys with staff, claimants, employers and Work Programme providers.

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The government introduced the Youth Contract in April 2012 to provide additional support for unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 24. It includes: more intensive support from Jobcentre Plus advisers; additional funding for up to 250,000 work experience and sector-based work academies placements; and a wage incentive for employers recruiting a young person who has been claiming for over six months or is on the Work Programme. The evaluation of the Youth Contract consists of a range of research studies. This latest report provides feedback from large-scale surveys of young people who received support from the Youth Contract through Jobcentre Plus. The survey also includes a sample of participants on work experience and sector based work academies. Interviews were carried out in summer 2013.

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This report presents new findings on how an innovative post-employment program in Britain is affecting the employment, earnings and benefits receipt of long-term unemployed individuals. This initiative, called the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration program, is being carefully evaluated through a large-scale randomised control trial. ERA offered a unique combination of financial incentives and in-work support designed to help individuals sustain and advance in the labour market. The demonstration targeted three groups: unemployed lone parents, lone parents working part-time, and long-term unemployed individuals receiving government benefits. While a companion report [indexed at TD/TNC 94.119] presents effects for lone parents, this report focuses on the experiences of the long-term unemployed group, most of whom are men. An earlier evaluation report published in 2007 [indexed at TD/TNC 89.84], showed that, despite significant positive effects for lone parents, ERA's effects for the long-term unemployed group were mixed and uncertain after one year of follow-up. For this group, the program had shown no effects overall on employment or earnings but there were suggestions of positive effects in some districts. The new evidence presented here, covering two years of follow-up, continues to show that ERA's effects were limited. Although the program increased overall employment rates and reduced benefits receipt in year two, these effects were small. However, final assessment of ERA's effectiveness for this group must await longer-term follow-up.

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Ministry of Justice (MOJ) commissioned a joint strategic review of offender employment services. The aim was to improve such support by conducting a strategic review of current services offered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and MOJ and implementing improvements to make services more coherent and effective without increasing existing resources. The recommendations of the review were announced in March 2010. DWP commissioned the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University to undertake a qualitative study of offender employment services, with a specific focus on the progress made with the implementation of the recommendations of the joint review. The objectives of the study were to: identify how well the recommendations of the review have been implemented; identify the extent to which the changes implemented have contributed to improved offender employment services; establish what further reforms should be developed to maximise the employment outcomes for offenders; assist in developing future policy for the offender group; and consider the role of drug treatment services in the offender employment journey. The study was conducted across four case study areas covering England and Wales in both custodial and community settings. In terms of the former, the study team has visited twelve prisons and young offender institutions. The research involved conducting 131 in-depth semi-structured interviews with policy leads, practitioners and offenders. This has included policy leads in DWP, Jobcentre Plus, MOJ and National Offender Management Service (NOMS); Scottish policy leads; Employment and Benefit Advisers (EBAs) and Prison Resettlement staff; Jobcentre Plus staff; Probation Service staff; prisoners; and offenders in the community and representatives from crime reduction charities. This report presents the main findings emanating from the study. It identifies how well key recommendations have been implemented 'on the ground' in both case study prisons and the community; and assesses the extent to which changes have begun to improve offender employment services. It concludes with a series of recommendations to help further strengthen such services.

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This report presents new findings from Britain's Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration programme, launched in autumn 2003. ERA was designed to test the effectiveness of a programme to improve the labour market prospects of low-paid workers and long-term unemployed people. One of ERA's key goals was to encourage human capital development by supporting and incentivising training among low-wage workers. The programme provided personal adviser support and financial incentives for completing training and working full-time. This report looks at the delivery, take-up, and outcomes of ERA's training support and incentives. A central question is whether intensive adviser support and financial incentives encourage training beyond what would normally occur. Because training encompasses a broad range of activities, this report details the kinds of training courses people took in ERA. Finally, it is important to assess whether training leads to better labour market outcomes. Some programmes have increased training with no corresponding effect on earnings. One hypothesis to explain these results is that the training might not have been in courses relevant to advancement. Therefore, this study examines the occupational relevance of the courses taken.

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This report examines the impact of workfare schemes that mandate participation in unpaid work activities as a condition of receiving social assistance ('work for benefits'). The research involved a literature review of international evidence of workfare programs. Three countries were chosen as offering interesting and relevant examples of workfare type programs: the US, Canada and Australia. The report refers to key features that help participants on workfare programs into employment. Insisting on some job search for participants during the program is vital to ensure that they do not become dependent on this form of employment and actually move into the open labour market. The second key feature is treating participants' barriers to work and not just their lack of work experience. Additional support for those with drink and drug problems and basic employability skills helps improve participants' chances of finding work. The report points to evidence that full-time activity in such programs leads to improved job outcomes.

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The UK government introduced the Youth Contract in April 2012 to improve the employability prospects for Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants aged under 25. Wage incentives are an important part of the Youth Contract. A wage incentive is available to employers recruiting a young person who has been claiming JSA for over six months or is on the Work Programme. This is one of series of research reports which aims to provide an independent assessment of the implementation and impact of the Youth Contract policies. The report provides feedback from a survey of employers who have received a wage incentive payment alongside qualitative research with Jobcentre Plus staff. Interviews were carried out in summer 2013. This report complements an early evaluation of the wage incentive published in February 2013.

The main research questions addressed in this report are: How are Jobcentre Plus staff marketing wage incentives to employers? How successful has employer engagement and marketing been? How have employers responded to the policy and what types of employers are taking up the scheme? Are wage incentives influencing employer recruitment decisions and other behaviour? What are employers' views on the claims process? Can any improvements be made to wage incentive policy/delivery?

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This report provides findings from the final stage of the evaluation of the 'work-focused services in children's centres' pilot. The pilot was one of a suite of Child Poverty Pilots announed in 2008. The pilot operated in 10 local authority areas (30 Sure Start Children's Centres in total) in England, providing work-focused services through a dedicated Jobcentre Plus Personal Adviser, as well as activities designed to meet local needs. It ran from January 2009 to March 2011. The aim of the pilot was to test how children's centres can offer a more effective means of engaging parents in labour market activity, moving them closer to work, and ultimately into employment. A mixed methods evaluation was put in place to assess the impacts of the pilot and explore experiences and perceptions of its implementation. The evaluation included surveys of centre users, interviews with parents, staff and stakeholders and analysis of [Department for Work and Pensions] DWP administrative data and data collected specifically for the evaluation. Research was also undertaken in a number of non-pilot children's centres by means of comparison. The evaluation was undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES).

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This study examines the evidence relating to what employers are looking for when recruiting, and the extent to which government provision meets their needs, focusing on unemployed and inactive adults between 16 and state pension age (SPA). The study also explores whether there are differences in employers’ requirements by age. The review covers: What sort of characteristics, skills and qualifications do employers look for when recruiting employees? How important are qualifications to employers? Are employers more interested in soft skills/employability skills and if so, how do employers recognise soft skills in the interview process and afterwards? In addition to a summary, the report contains three chapters. The introductory chapter outlines the methodology and discusses definitions of age, learning and training, skills and qualifications, skills shortages and skills gaps, and occupational groups. Chapter two reviews the findings from the academic, policy and evaluation literature to identify the issues as they apply to younger or older people in the unemployed or inactive communities, and to other groups within this community where appropriate. Chapter three provides expert views of employers’ needs on recruitment, specifically the characteristics, skills and qualifications employers look for when recruiting and employers’ views of training. Findings indicate that: employers continue to face recruitment difficulties - one-fifth of reported vacancies could not be filled due to a lack of applicants with the necessary skills; overall, employers are less demanding of technical skills, considering them trainable, if candidates exhibit employability and soft skills, and positive attributes; amongst core characteristics employers look for are motivation and flexibility; qualifications do not appear to be important for a large number of employers and jobs, consistently ranking beneath characteristics and soft skills in recruitment frameworks; and age stereotypes persist about older and younger workers (and other inactive groups) and while they benefit some groups, they disadvantage others. Show less

This report presents new findings on the implementation and effectiveness of Britain's Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) demonstration program, which is being evaluated though a large-scale randomised control trial. ERA's distinctive combination of post-employment advisory support and financial incentives was designed to help low-income individuals who entered work sustain employment and advance in the labour market. The analysis presented here focuses on the experiences of lone parents within the first two years following their entry onto the program.

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