This report provides results for young people who started in Youth Guarantee Fees-Free places up to 2014, and their outcomes and destinations to 2015 and 2016. The data for monitoring the Youth Guarantee programmes is sourced from the Statistics New Zealand's Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). The purpose of monitoring and evaluating the Youth Guarantee programmes is to understand the extent to which the desired outcomes are being met. The Youth Guarantee policy provides opportunities for young people to achieve education success, and progress into further education, training and...  [+] Show more

This report provides results for young people who started in Youth Guarantee Fees-Free places up to 2014, and their outcomes and destinations to 2015 and 2016. The data for monitoring the Youth Guarantee programmes is sourced from the Statistics New Zealand's Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). The purpose of monitoring and evaluating the Youth Guarantee programmes is to understand the extent to which the desired outcomes are being met. The Youth Guarantee policy provides opportunities for young people to achieve education success, and progress into further education, training and employment. It supports schools, tertiary education organisations and employers to work together. Youth Guarantee Fees-Free places were implemented in 2010, as the first part of the Youth Guarantee policy. Youth Guarantee Fees-Free provides full-time, fees-free tertiary study at New Zealand Qualifications Framework Levels 1 to 3 for 15 to 19 year olds who have left school with low or no qualifications. It is intended to re-engage young people in education and provide a pathway into further study, training and employment.

Youth Guarantee Fees-Free places have been effective in keeping more young people in education during the period of the programme. The programme has also engaged some young people who would otherwise have been not in employment, education or training (NEET). Analysis of employment and progression to Level 4 and above by groups of young people shows: (1) Maori and Pasifika participants are no more likely to be in full employment or progress to higher level study than Maori and Pasifika with a similar background; (2) participants who had low or no school qualifications before they started, had lower education performance at school and/or had higher risk of poor outcomes were no more likely to progress to Level 4 and above or to full employment than similar young people; and (3) participants who had a Level 2 qualification before they started, had higher education performance at school and/or had lower risk of poor outcomes were less likely to progress to Level 4 and above and more likely to progress to full employment than similar young people.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website.