Disadvantaged school leavers have their post-16 education choices and life chances boosted with £2 million support programme

• 94% successfully transferred to college or training upon leaving school at 16.
• 93% still on their course after six months, compared to 87.8% of all disadvantaged young people.
• 90% happy with their choice of course.
• Programme extended with further £2.5 million funding from JPMorganChase.
• Example of private/public partnership in action.

Disadvantaged young people at most risk of not remaining in education or training on leaving school, due to the barriers they face, have turned things round with targeted careers support, says a new report published today.

They’ve gained college and training places and are more likely to stay on them than others across the country. 

More than nine in ten young people (94%) on the programme successfully moved on to college or training courses after leaving school at 16. Ninety-three per cent were still on their course after six months. This compares favourably with 87.8% of disadvantaged young people and with national data which shows 82.6% of all young people are still on their post-16-18 courses after six months.

The independent report by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) says there is strong evidence the young people will continue to sustain their studies as more than 90% are happy with their choices, the subjects that make up the course and the places they are studying.

The pilot programme was delivered by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) - the national body for careers education – through 10 of its national network of 44 Careers Hubs, with £2 million funding from JPMorganChase. Based on learning from the pilot, the programme will now be expanded, backed by a further £2.5 million from the firm.

The pilot set out to test what types of support worked best in breaking down barriers faced by disadvantaged young people, so they could move on to a sustained post-16 destination and not end up NEET (not in education, employment or training).

More than 1,000 young people facing the biggest barriers (e.g. living in high deprivation areas, mental health, low school attendance, exclusion) in 10 different areas of the country were part of the programme.

Key to success was a personalised, bespoke approach to each young person. Young people highlighted the importance of:

• A trusted adult they could talk to and who could guide them about their future plans.
• Feeling listened to, supported and valued when considering their future.
• Meeting people they could relate to from the world of work who shared similar backgrounds and had faced similar barriers.

The 10 projects around the country included:

• In the West of England young people on free school meals (FSM) with high levels of school absenteeism and at risk of poor results received targeted support. 96% went on to college or training – 85% were still studying after six months. 98% were happy with where they were studying and 94% said they were determined to continue working towards their careers goal even when they hit a barrier.
• In Liverpool, boys on Free School Meals who had become disengaged from school and risked leaving with no qualifications or plan for their future were linked up with people in jobs who reflected their own background and faced similar issues. 97% of them went on to college or training and all of them were still studying after six months. 94% said they now felt motivated to learn and 100% felt listened to and supported when planning their future.
• In Leeds, girls on FSM who had high absenteeism and were identified by their school as having low social capital, confidence and self-esteem were partnered with businesses in growth sectors in the local economy. 100% went on to college or training and were still there after six months. All were happy with the studies they were doing and could identify a career that would allow them to live the life they wanted to lead.
• In London, young black men on FSM who were outside mainstream education in Alternative Provision or school exclusion units received intensive one-to-one coaching and business mentoring with aspirational role models they could relate to. 93% were still in education or training after six months. 95% believed they now had a trusted adult they could talk to about their future plans and 95% said they had the resilience to carry on working towards their careers goal even when they hit a barrier.

Oli de Botton, CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company said:

“It's fantastic to see the power and purpose of this programme - helping disadvantaged young people facing significant barriers find and stick with the education or training that’s right for them.

“We very much welcome the ongoing support from JPMorganChase and the expansion of the programme with a further £2.5 million of funding. It is a great example of public/private partnership in action, making a difference to young people’s lives and communities.

“This programme shows how high impact careers support can transform the prospects of some of our most disadvantaged young people. It demonstrates how every young person can and should be supported to take their best next step - to be ready for work and life beyond school.”  

Hang Ho, Head of International Philanthropy at JPMorganChase said:

“The results from the Effective Transitions Fund pilot phase show impressive impact, and we now have data-driven insights about how to best support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access quality career pathways.

“We are proud to have been part of the pilot phase and have already committed to scale the work across England to support an additional 1,500 young people through the second phase of the programme. Today’s results will help us deepen our insights as JPMorganChase continues to drive greater impact in our communities.”

JPMorganChase in the U.K.

With a legacy dating back more than 200 years, JPMorganChase has a track record of demonstrating leadership during times of both economic growth and financial instability. The firm employs approximately 22,000 employees throughout the U.K. and is committed to operating a healthy and vibrant company that plays a leading role in advancing a sustainable and inclusive economy. The firm provides £474 billion in credit and capital to nearly 4,500 medium and large companies and supports over two million retail customers. At the same time, together with its non-profit partners the firm has supported over 33,000 low income households reduce their debt and improve their financial health, helped over 10,800 small businesses to grow their activity and placed over 9,000 individuals into apprenticeships or full and part-time employment.

(updated 10/10/2024)