Transition to Work (TtW) provides up to 12 months intensive pre-employment support for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. A voluntary, demand-driven service, TtW focuses on practical support and work experience to build the skills, confidence and work readiness of early school leavers aged between 15 and 21 and young people who have experienced difficulty transitioning from education to employment.

A systematic and objective assessment of the performance of TtW was conducted in two phases, formative and summative. The summative stage, the subject of this report, provides an in-depth assessment of the overall performance of TtW to early 2018. It involved collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical methods used to analyse quantitative data included descriptive statistics and logistic regression modelling. The main study populations were matched inflow populations of young people referred to TtW and jobactive. 

Four key evaluation questions were examined as part of the evaluation:

1. Does participation in TtW lead to improved work readiness, and employment and educational outcomes for participants?
2. Does TtW deliver cost-effective and time-effective outcomes?
3. What service elements are associated with improved education and employment outcomes and from which providers?
4. Does TtW deliver targeted and quality service to participants?

Key findings

• Consensus among providers and participants was that the tailored and intensive support provided through TtW increased the target groups’ work readiness and contributed to their achievement of study and employment outcomes.
• TtW provided a targeted and high-quality early intervention service to participants.
• Positive short-term outcomes for TtW participants, such as practical skills to get job ready and personal improvement skills to reduce levels of anxiety, also increased their social connectedness and improved their communication skills.
• In addition to building the human capital necessary to compete in the jobs market, heightened individual human capability may have broader consequences for society, including reduced recidivism.