Foreword

The programme supported over 3,250 participants with at least three meaningful interventions in a six-to-ten-week period (meeting 82% of the target). Other participants were supported with three meaningful interventions over a longer period.

The programme had most success in relation to job starts for out of work participants. There were 1,123 job starts claimed until December 2021 (106% of the target). Sustainment in work was below target (89% at 13 weeks, 85% at 26 weeks and 66% at 52 weeks). Sixty- eight per cent of participants starting work remained in work 13 weeks later. The proportion of customers with a job outcome sustained at 13 weeks is largely the same between cohorts.

The programme supported 458 working participants to progress in work (46% of the target). Participants who were out of work at the start of the programme accounted for just under half (44%) of the employed progression claims. Providers explained that participants in some groups wanted to seek work for a few hours as a steppingstone to help them transition gradually back to work, and then progress by increasing the number of hours worked.

Providers were less able to reach people already in work that might have benefited from or have wanted support to progress.

Regression analysis exploring who found work showed the likelihood of finding work was significantly higher among the Rapid Progression cohort than the Hardest to Help group. After controlling for other factors in the model, participants whose completed actions had included identifying possible jobs that matched their skills were twice as likely to achieve a job outcome than those who did not complete this action. Participants for whom the programme was being delivered by a small or medium organisation were twice as likely to achieve a job outcome than those whose delivery was provided by an organisation in the East Birmingham & Solihull Urban Partnership. Participants without a health condition or disability, those not claiming benefit, and participants in the mid-age ranges (25–34 and 45– 54 years) were also more likely than others to secure a job outcome.

Regression analysis focused on 13-week sustainment found that, when controlling for other factors, participants aged over 25 and completing actions to identify possible jobs that matched their skills were more likely to remain in work after 13 weeks.

Logistic regression to investigate the likelihood of a customer progressing in work, found that when controlling for other factors, participants who were not claiming benefits were more likely to progress in work compared with participants who were claiming benefits.

Programme engagement

The programme engaged people from a range of demographic groups across the communities. Figure 2.2 summarises some of the characteristics of programme participants. A little over half of participants were female (53%) and around half were male (47%) (N = 3,957) (Table A-3). Participants’ ages ranged from 16 to 75 years of age (N = 3,864). Around one in three participants were aged 16–24 (29%), with one in ten (10%) aged 50 or older (Table A-4). Reflecting the ethnic diversity in the communities, a little under half (42%) of participants identified as being from a minority ethnic background (N = 3,831), with participants from an Asian ethnic background making up around one third (29%) of all participants (Table A-5). The ethnic diversity of participants varied between areas reflecting their varied ethnic profiles, with participants at Cannock North (98%), Glascote (96%), Camp Hill, Nuneaton & Bedworth (89%) and Chelmsley Wood (89%) predominantly from white ethnic backgrounds, whereas those participating in Washwood Heath mostly identifying as from an Asian, Black or other minority ethnic group (83%) (Table A-6).

Other characteristics indicate the extent to which specific barriers to work might be identified among participants. With regards to prior education, one third of participants (30%) reported that their highest qualification was at level 2 such as a GCSE at grade A* – C, a little under a fifth had an entry level or level 1 qualification such as GCSE grade D–G or no qualification (22% and 17% respectively), just over a fifth (23%) had a level 3 qualification such as an level 3 NVQ, and eight per cent were qualified to degree level or higher (N = 3,187) (Table A-7).

The Employed Progression group were in work at the time of enrolment (N=619) and gave details of their current work. It should be noted that not all providers reported these data, so findings should be treated with caution. Most participants in employment worked less than 16 hours a week (44%). Just 13 per cent worked full-time (35 hours a week or more) (N = 371) (Table A-13). Most participants in the employed progression group (67%) earned less than £199 per week on average (36% earned less than £100 per week, 31% earned £100-199 per week on average) (N = 328) (Table A-14). Most participants in the employed progression group were on a permanent contract (54%), a quarter were on zero hours (26%), and one in ten were on a fixed-term contract or other variable work such as seasonal work (8% and 9% respectively, N = 365) (Table A-15).

Which groups found work?

Some groups of embedded participants who were out of work when they joined the programme were more likely than others to secure a job outcome (Figure 2-4):

• Participants without a health condition or disability, were more likely than participants with a health condition or disability to gain a job outcome (44% compared to 34%) (Table A-18). This mirrors findings from the Work Programme evaluation (DWP, 2014) and reflects the fact that the national disability employment rate is considerably lower than the overall employment rate (53% in Q2 2021, compared to 81%) (ONS, 2021).

• Participants without caring responsibilities for children under the age of 16, were more likely than participants with these caring responsibilities to find work (44% compared to 38%). The context of the closure of schools during the pandemic is worth noting here (Table A-19).

• Males (44%) were more likely than females (39%) to find work (Table A-20).

• Participants from a white ethnic background (41%), were as likely as those from ethnic minority backgrounds (40%) to find work (Table A-21).

• Participants in receipt of benefits were less likely (36%), than those not claiming benefits (51%) to find work (Table A-22).

• Participants in the youngest age range (16–24 years), and mid-age range (45–54 years), were more likely than other age groups to gain a job outcome (45% and 44% respectively, compared to 36% of participants aged 25–34, 38% of participants aged 35–44, and 39% of those aged 55 or over) (Table A-23).