Evaluations into our work with children and young people
Choices evaluation
Date: 2014
Evaluated by: Economic Policy Associates and DECC
Project details: St Giles’ Choices project aims to help disadvantaged young people aged 16 – 24 who are not in education, employment or training to move their lives forward by targeting support to their individual needs. The HSBC supported Opportunity Partnership launched in July 2013. Clients typically have multiple barriers - This all points to SGT clients being harder to reach than the average young person that is not in education, employment or training.
Key outcomes:
- Data provided by SGT shows that 1,132 clients were registered in 2014 with 543 of these achieved an outcome (e.g. starting a new job, or entering training).
- These clients obtained a total of 907 outcomes during the year comprising 495 training, 324 employment, 45 volunteering and 33 education outcomes.
- A benefit/cost ratio for recorded employment outcomes of between £3.3 and £3.7 for every £1 spent
- Choices not only helps clients to get into employment education and training but also provides additional support generally to overcome other issues often when they have been unsuccessful in getting sufficient help through other schemes (e.g. the government Work Programme).
- Some benefits that fall outside what is modelled, such as reducing educational underachievement and entry into voluntary placements - BIS research into returns to Intermediate and low level vocational qualifications shows that in line with previous studies there continues to be large and significant wage gain for most vocational qualifications