Finding that spark: what works to achieve effective employment services for young people?

What works to achieve effective employment services for young people? This report presents lessons from the evaluation of the Transition to Work Community of Practice

At a glance

Eleven providers of the Transition to Work service at 13 sites across Australia have come together to develop and deliver a consistent approach that achieves sustainable employment outcomes for young people. This Transition to Work Community of Practice, convened by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, is based on collaboration and shared learning.

Dive deeper

This mixed method study explored not only which elements of the TtW CoP model work but also how they work and in what circumstances. It drew on quantitative and qualitative data, and included case studies from three TtW CoP services in different locations.

The evaluation found that services that followed the TtW CoP model closely were more likely to meet or surpass government targets for 12-week education/employment outcomes than services with less fidelity to the model.

Two core concepts stepped out in practice—Advantaged Thinking and harnessing community investment—drove successful outcomes. Seven components delivering these approaches were identified as keys:

• a convening component – BSL as an enabling organisation
• model components – a four-phase model and activating employers
• practice components – the Deal (an agreement between the service and young people); exploration, inspiration and goal setting; group work; and work skills and tasters.

The study also found that an enabling organisation facilitated enhanced quality and performance for all TtW CoP providers while ensuring ongoing development, a focus on place, and fidelity to the model.