Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) Evaluation Panel
The Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) – the What Works Centre for youth employment – recently announced their new Evaluation Panel which SQW are pleased to have remained a member of, having been a member of their previous panel. YFF’s panel exists for them to commission robust evaluations and research to understand what works around youth employment.
Youth employment is an issue that rightly now sits high on the political agenda, given fresh impetus by the recent Alan Milburn report, which Andy Burnham has repeatedly referenced in recent weeks. We have seen some initial policy responses, and anticipate more are to come.
Exploring the challenges young people face around employment, and what works in response, is an important area of SQW’s work. In our research we frequently engage directly young people, and those supporting them, so hear directly about these issues as well as the possible solutions.
Recently we said a little about our work for Tees Valley Combined Authority evaluating their Youth Guarantee Trailblazer which aims to better support those who are (or at risk of becoming) NEET.
In recent years we have also conducted research around work experience for young people (here), the factors that influence young people’s engagement in youth activities (here) which considered key underlying issues such as confidence, as well as into technical education with the rollout of T Levels (here). During our evaluations of all-age employment support programmes we have observed increasing demands from young people too.
We therefore look forward to seeing what more the government plans in this space to improve the prospects for young people. In the meantime, we will continue making our contribution to the evidence base, ensuring action is informed by the evidence of what works and the voices of young people.
