The feasibility of developing a methodology for measuring the distance travelled and soft outcomes for long-term unemployed people participating in Active Labour Market Programmes

Summary:

A study on the feasibility of developing a methodology to better target support for long-term unemployed (LTU) people participating in Active Labour Market Programmes (ALMPs) was carried out by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick, UK. The research was drafted as an output of the ESF Employment Thematic Network, a network of the European Social Fund (ESF) Transnational Platform (on behalf of AEIDL) by order of the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, as part of a project on long-term unemployment. The research focused on a review of evidence on different models and measures used to design, assess, record and evaluate soft outcomes and ‘distance travelled’ for the long-term unemployed in terms of employability. While the focus of the review was on measures used with the LTU, it also drew upon evidence on measures used in ALMPs targeted at other groups. Little academic evidence was found where soft outcomes and/or distance travelled models were the main focus of the review or evaluation. These types of outcomes were often reported as an incidental outcome(s) of ALMPs using a variety of terms such as non-labour market outcomes, indirect effects or other benefits. However, it was still possible to discern from this literature ‘what works’ in terms of getting those furthest from the labour market into training or employment