Get Ready for Work programme evaluation: final report

Get Ready for Work (GRFW) is the enterprise network’s national labour market access intervention for young people aged between 16 and 18 with additional support needs (ASN). It aims to provide improved school to labour market transitions for potentially disengaged young people, including those “not in education, employment, or training” (NEET).

The evaluation involved: consultations with staff at Scottish Enterprise National, the local enterprise companies and Careers Scotland; visits to 16 training providers; 13 focus group discussions involving 90 GRFW participants; a postal survey of all training organisations providing GRFW (response rate over 80%); 20 interviews with employers involved in the programme; a review of performance data and wider indicators related to post school progression; and a review of a range of more localised background documentation.

GRFW has grown significantly over the 4 years of operation, and positive outcomes have risen consistently - up from 24.2% in the initial year of operation to 41.3% in 2005/6. In 2005/6 cost per positive outcome on the mainstream strands was £3,483, and for the Lifeskills strand, £22,911 (or £9,829 when progressions to other GRFW strands are included). The basic tenets of the GRFW model were widely viewed as an improvement on previous programmes. It is seen as a more flexible and client focused programme – although “creeping rigidity” in practice was noted. However GRFW has had a low profile as an enterprise network product. There are two major weaknesses in recording impact: the lack of ongoing tracking data on participant progress after completion; and the lack of any information on the types of jobs young people progress to. Progression rates from GRFW to Skillseekers or modern apprenticeships have fallen over the years, which is a cause of some concern. There is a general sense that the quality of GRFW has improved significantly over the 4 years of programme operation, but evidencing quality within GRFW is difficult.

Scottish Enterprise should restate the objectives of GRFW in terms of recruitment and outcomes and should ensure mainstream GRFW is in future targeted at young people assessed as likely to progress to positive outcomes within the specified periods they are expected to be on the programme. The mainstream GRFW strands should be phased out and replaced by a single strand model. Lifeskills provision should be retained within the GRFW programme with certain conditions/alterations. Scottish Enterprise should separately record outcomes for Lifeskills and reinforce that formally recognised progression to the mainstream programme is the main intended progression route. There should be a specification for further information requirements in terms of the longer term labour market progress of former GRFW participants. Scottish Enterprise should openly acknowledge the role of GRFW as a feeder programme into Skillseekers and promote this; and encourage an increased promotional campaign for GRFW. Scottish Enterprise should separately promote Lifeskills on a lower key basis, with activities primarily based on niche marketing to likely referral sources.