To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail (i) how the impact of the Pathway to Success Strategy has been evaluated (ii) the outcomes of any evaluation; and (iii) whether this has been published.

As part of the implementation of the Pathways to Success Strategy, my Department initiated a formal evaluation which was undertaken by the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion (CESI), a London based not-for-profit-company dedicated to tackling disadvantage and promoting social inclusion in the labour market.

Six key DEL programmes were considered in the evaluation of the ‘Pathways to Success’ strategy, namely:

Community Family Support Programme;

Local Employment Intermediary Service;

Collaboration and Innovation Fund;

Steps 2 Success (First Start);

Youth Employment Scheme; and,

Training for Success, Level One.

Each of the programmes was assessed from the perspective of performance data against objectives, and from the perspective of participant experiences. The evaluation also covered the implementation architecture and a cost/benefit analysis.

CESI have now produced a final draft. Once I have considered the evaluation and its implications for a broad range of youth interventions within my Department, the evaluation will be posted on the DEL web-site, along with, in due course, a refresh of the current Pathways Strategy.