Policies and Programmes to Address Disadvantage among Young People: Issues for Evaluation

Abstract

This article discusses some of the issues facing young people experiencing disadvantage in the labour market and associated implications for evaluation of programmes to address disadvantage. Drawing on the experiences of an evaluation study undertaken in an English county, the article explores alternative approaches to evaluation and the need for additional indicators to accompany quantitative outputs such as numbers into training or employment. The article is structured as follows: introduction to issues facing young people in the labour market; comment on evaluation of social programmes; a case study example of a local evaluation study; and discussion of evaluation issues arising from the study.