Supporting transitions into work in Cardiff
The impact of programmes for children and young people with Additional Learning Needs
Carolina Lozano
Senior Consultant at Metro Dynamics
Carolina Lozano
Senior Consultant at Metro Dynamics
Supporting children and young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) to gain access to meaningful employment helps to create a more equitable local labour market and ensure that all young people have an opportunity to reach their full potential.
However, local government has faced increasing challenges in delivering this support against the backdrop of ever-increasing cuts and increased demand from residents. To address this and support inclusive growth, Cardiff Council have funded two programmes: the Flexible Supported Employment Pathway and the Supported Internship Programme, both launched in 2021. Cardiff Council approached the IGN and worked with Metro Dynamics and the Centre for Progressive Policy to demonstrate the impact of the two programmes and build the case for future investment.
Background
Both programmes derive from the Prevention First model which originated in health policy and refers to the shift to preventing illness in the first place rather than relying on treatment. The two interventions are based around proactively intervening early to reduce vulnerabilities for at-risk groups and provide support whilst young people are still on the school roll. By offering alternative options for those with ALN to access fulfilling work, the programmes aim to prevent labour market exclusion and decrease rates of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), which benefits the entire system.
The Flexible Supported Employment Pathway is a 12-week programme designed to boost post-16 employment opportunities for young people with ALN. Beneficiaries spend three days a week with a host organisation, working with staff, teaching assistants and job coaches, with the aim of building sufficient confidence to perform their roles independently. The Supported Internship Programme runs throughout the academic year and seeks to support higher educational outcomes alongside better chances of employment by offering students work experience. Both programmes are designed to deliver in-work support and a pathway into the world of work to boost confidence and enable skills development.
Impact
To date, engagement in the programmes has been restricted to a small proportion of the total eligible population to test the approach prior to scaling. Emerging evidence suggests that:
- The Supported Internship Programme has achieved high completion rates and beneficiaries achieve better outcomes compared to the eligible population.
- The programme is more affordable compared to Specialist College placements, costing £15,000 per pupil for one year compared to £92,000 a year for Specialist College.
- The programme provides cost savings by reducing the risk of young people becoming NEET, which can become costly to national and local government, especially for employment support and disability living allowance, as well as reduced income tax and national insurance contributions.
The programmes have also been positively received by beneficiaries who feel better qualified, more confident and capable in a work environment as a result of the support.
“I am really enjoying the project because it makes me more confident about working. I would like to get a job at the end of the project because I would be able to learn new skills.”(Participant)
“We’re in an extremely deprived area where a lot of our population are unemployed. So, it has promoted employment, is building aspirations, building confidence for people who are breaking the cycle of unemployment.” (School teacher)
Participating businesses have reported benefits including support to introduce more inclusive and ALN-friendly company policies and an increase in staff morale as a result:
“We had a really positive experience last year and found that the experience not only helped the intern to develop work-based skills, but it also helped our staff to develop the skills they need for further career development, so we were really keen to be involved again this year.” (Business host)
Key learnings
- The impact of targeted, small-scale interventions should not be underestimated. It can be challenging to produce robust quantitative evidence to demonstrate the impact of these programmes, due to their design and scope. However, initial evidence suggests that these programmes have the potential to positively impact beneficiaries, participating businesses and the wider community.
- Programmes based on the prevention first approach have cost-saving potential. In the case of supporting young people with ALN, this approach shows promising results to prevent beneficiaries from being excluded from the labour market and becoming part of the NEET population.
Next steps
Moving forward, the programmes have the potential to drive wider benefits for Cardiff if scaled and targeted to help address skills shortages in the local labour market. Delivery has demonstrated that a holistic and preventative approach, where participants are provided with wraparound support, mentoring and employability skills, and employers are supported to establish inclusive employment practices, can achieve positive results. Embedding systematic collection of monitoring and impact data within delivery can help to build the case for on-going investment in preventative models, as well as demonstrate to a wider range of employers the benefits of inclusive employment practices.
This work has been delivered through fully funded IGN implementation advice – bespoke delivery support, tailored to member needs, which helps to unlock projects that deliver inclusive growth.
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