Talent Match: the story so far...

Talent Match Leeds city-region conference

Friday 6th November - Northern Ballet, Leeds

Ryan Powell (r.s.powell@shu.ac.uk)

• About the TM Programme

 • The Evaluation

• Early Findings and key messages

• TM Leeds city-region: features, successes and challenges

• Looking ahead

Overview

• In brief:– £108m strategic programme– Delivery Phase: 2014-18– Target group: 18-24 year olds furthest from the labour market

(LTU >12mths)

• Key features– co-production and involvement of young people– voluntary programme (versus DWP "stick" approach)– VCS as lead partner– genuinely person-centred, holistic support– focus on 21 LEP areas– influencing change...what works? a new approach to youth

unemployment?

Fulfilling Lives: Talent Match

• Multiple research methods (quants & quals)• Process and Impact i.e what works?• Key feature: a common data framework (CDF)• Thematic approach (e.g. mental health)

• Evaluation outputs:

http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/ourexpertise/talent-match-evaluation-and-learning-contract

Evaluation - key features

Headline findings

All respondents to the baseline survey

  Count Per cent

Talent Match Black Country 232 3

Talent Match Cornwall & Isles of Scilly 212 3

Talent Match Coventry & Warwickshire 98 1

Talent Match Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire 162 2

Talent Match Greater Birmingham & Solihull 143 2

Talent Match Greater Lincolnshire 95 1

Talent Match Greater Manchester 452 7

Talent Match Humber 365 5

Talent Match Leeds City Region 790 11Talent Match Leicester & Leicestershire 357 5

Talent Match Liverpool City Region 384 6

Talent Match London 700 10

Talent Match New Anglia 359 5

Talent Match North East 924 13

Talent Match Northamptonshire 83 1

Talent Match Sheffield City Region 642 9

Talent Match South East 566 8

Talent Match Stoke on Trent & Staffordshire 86 1

Talent Match Tees Valley 132 2

Talent Match The Marches 38 1

Talent Match Worcestershire 90 1

Total 6,910 100     

Proportion of young people starting on the Programme over time

Numbers engaged: total and "hidden"

Cornw

all

Cov &

War

ks

Derby

s & N

otts

Gtr Birm

ingha

m

Gtr Lin

cs

Gtr M

anch

este

r

Humbe

r

Leed

s CR

Leice

ster

& L

eics

Liver

pool

CR

Lond

on

New A

nglia

North

Eas

t

North

ants

Sheffi

eld C

R

South

Eas

t

Staffo

rdsh

ire

Midd

lesbr

ough

The M

arch

es

Wor

cest

ersh

ire0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Young people engaged Young people "hidden"

Proportion engaged who were "hidden"

Cornw

all

Cov &

War

ks

Derby

s & N

otts

Gtr Birm

ingha

m

Gtr Lin

cs

Gtr M

anch

este

r

Humbe

r

Leed

s CR

Leice

ster

& L

eics

Liver

pool

CR

Lond

on

New A

nglia

North

Eas

t

North

ants

Sheffi

eld C

R

South

Eas

t

Staffo

rdsh

ire

Midd

lesbr

ough

The M

arch

es

Wor

cest

ersh

ire0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Chart Title

Beneficiary characteristics

37% Female

63% Male

19% Have children

White: English/Welsh/ Scottish/Northern Irish/British*

• 19% previously "hidden"

• 23% have a disability

• 79% in receipt of benefits - of which: 69% JSA; 16% ESA; 25% HB; 19% CB.

• A quarter on/or recently completed the Work Programme

• 30% have achieved 5 GCSEs A*-C (inc. English & maths)

CDF DATA: Beneficiary characteristics

• 18% have experienced mental ill health

• 15% have experienced homelessness

• 9% have been in local authority care

• 14% convicted of a criminal offence

• 7% have experienced drug dependency

• 4% have experienced alcohol dependency

Indicators of social disadvantage

Key barriers to employment

Not sure which jobs would suit me

Lack of interview skills

Lack of confidence

Lack of job specific skills

Lack of prior work experience

Lack of qualifications

Lack of job opportunities locally

53%

53%

50%

45%

45%

38%

34%

Support received through Talent Match

Other

Counselling

Basic skills (reading/numbers) training

Support with travel

Support in addressing practical barriers

Financial support

Advice on personal development

Information, advice and guidance about careers

One to one support

In-work support

96%

88%

78%

64%

47%

37%

31%

23%

22%Peer mentoring

12%

6%

Actions undertaken since joining Talent Match

2%

1%

9%

20%

29%

26%

34%

38%

52%

75%

2%

3%

11%

29%

36%

40%

44%

47%

63%

77%

6/12/18 month 3 month

Applied for jobs

Attended at least one interview

Taken up additional training

Undertaken some form of work experience

Gained employment

Undertaken some form of volunteering

Completed a training course

Completed a formal education course

Completed an apprenticeship

Set up my own business

BIG "scorecard" data

TM Total (No.)

TM Leeds (No.)

TM Total (%)

TM Leeds (%)

Young people engagementYoung people engaged 8703 939 100.0 100.0Young people who were previously classed as "hidden" 1694 246 19.5 26.3Employment/EnterpriseYoung people securing employment 1016 148 11.7 15.8Young people securing sustained employment (at least 6 mths) 213 34 21.0 23.0Young people securing self employment/enterprise 62 4 6.1 2.7Young people securing sustained self employment/enterprise 2 0 3.2 0.0Work ExperienceYoung people undertaking work placement 338 25 3.9 2.7Training, skills and educationYoung people undertaking basic skills training opportunities 440 67 5.1 7.1Young people into apprenticeships 183 10 2.1 1.1Young people completing apprenticeships 28 4 15.3 40.0Young people into formal education 316 47 3.6 5.0Young people who receive peer mentoring 932 110 10.7 11.7VolunteeringYoung people undertaking volunteering 1551 175 17.8 18.6Young people regularly undertaking volunteering 1244 117 14.3 12.5

• 99% cite TM support as "very" (84%) or "quite" (15%) important in gaining work

• 51% permanent; just 2% self-employed

• 12% on zero hours contracts; 37% receive variable pay (i.e. hours change; overtime etc.)

• Job satisfaction is high: 74%

Of those in employment:

Wellbeing: improvements over time on TM

31%

21%

14%

9%

38%

26%

21%

17%

42%

28%27%

22%

42%

33%31%

27%

Baseline 3 month 6/12/18 month UK (16-24)

Anxiety yesterday

Happiness yesterday

Worthwhile Life satisfaction

• Key features:– consortium approach and experience of

managing large scale projects– building VCS

capacity/infrastructure...legacy?– subsidised employment payment by results– Employers' charter– informed by solid local evidence

Talent Match Leeds city-region

• Success:– key worker co-ordination and support– partnership stability i.e. retaining key staff– retaining participants – adapting to change/need (e.g. model,

bursaries etc.)– 43% of beneficiary target achieved– highest employment rate at 16%

Talent Match Leeds city-region

• Challenges:– TM recruitment: a crowded field– low female participation – maintaining focus on those in most need– ongoing welfare reform (e.g. HB for U21s)– public sector cuts– specialist mental health provision– influencing policy...locally and beyond– peer support expansion– self-employment and enterprise (realistic?)

Talent Match Leeds city-region

• Need to look beyond the monitoring data:– Different models of partnership in operation with differing skills, resources

and structures– Spectrum from ‘youth led/youth work’ through to ‘work first/employer

engagement’– Partnerships with more funding and in larger areas able to do

disproportionately more?

• Barriers to employment:– Transport, experience and qualifications are consistent– Mental health, confidence, complexity of need e.g. housing issues. – Groups with specific barriers: lone parents, BME groups

• Limitations– Co-production only takes you so far…not a panacea– Opportunities for employer engagement vary considerably...but TM Leeds is

well placed– All things to all unemployed young people; or for young people with specific

needs?

Looking ahead...