Aspire-igen and Social Value

The story so far…

Dr Jean GarrodNovember 2015

Contents

INTRODUCTION 3

WHO WE ARE 4

REGIONAL BACKDROP 5

NATIONAL BACKDROP 7

EUROPEAN CONTEXT 8

SOCIAL VALUE – SOME TECHNICAL STUFF 10

WHAT WE DO 11

OUR APPROACH 12

OUR PROGRAMMES 12

HOW DO WE DO IT? 22

WHAT ELSE? 23

ASPIRE-IGEN COMMUNITY FUND 24

ASPIRE-IGEN STAFF VOLUNTEERING 25

DONATIONS 26

WHAT MORE WOULD SV GIVE US? 26

SOCIAL VALUE BANK LICENSING INFORMATION 28

REFERENCES 28

[Type the document title] 2

Aspire-igen and Social Value

Introduction

Our claim is that we change lives for the better through learning and work. What we’d love to do however is to really capture the whole story of how people’s lives have been changed for

the better as a result of what we, our partners – and, of course, they themselves – do. That’s where Social Value comes in!

The Social Value of aspire-igen is the total social, environmental and economic impact of all our operations - and we know it must be huge. But we can’t – yet – demonstrate just how huge.

When someone secures employment there are obvious benefits for them: a regular income, a feeling of contributing to their family or paying their own way – but there are other benefits. For many people there may be health and wellbeing benefits: reducing anxiety about their future or getting out into society. For families, extra income is always useful, of course, and having a happier person about the house helps too. Income is spent in the local community, so there is an economic benefit for others as well, whether it’s the corner shop for milk or the local supermarket for the groceries, it all supports the local community.

Similarly when young people discover a training course that works for them, it gives them greater confidence in themselves, and hope for the future. Again there are health and wellbeing benefits there.

Our Community Fund also contributes to local communities, enabling them to help themselves, whether it’s activities for disadvantaged groups or supporting volunteers to improve their environment, it all helps to give a feel good factor to the neighbourhood. And if it gets people out and about more, talking to their neighbours, and reducing social isolation - that’s got to be good!

So, let’s look at what we have done so far, based on examples and statistics that we have and then think about whether that’s inspiring enough to want to do more!

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4

Who we are

Following the acquisition of igen by aspire-i in 2014, we are the largest provider of employability, training and careers in the North. We support young people and adults across Yorkshire and the Humber. We have 18 offices across the region, with four geographical cornerstones - Leeds, Bradford, York and Hull. Our operations are closely aligned to the priorities of three regional Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs): Leeds City Region LEP, York, North Yorkshire & East Riding LEP and Humber LEP.

Following the acquisition of igen the group has undergone restructuring in a number of areas, whilst striving to maintain our four core values:

Positive: focussing on the best possible outcomes, proactively motivating and supporting people to achieve them

Respectful: communicating honestly and openly at all times and valuing and promoting diversity

Expert: continuously improving knowledge and exploring creative ways to solve problems

Professional: keeping promises and delivering high quality, on time and on target support

We believe that we already make considerable social impact through our efficient financial Governance practice, plugging gaps in public sector provision, our Community Fund and other charitable activities including regular employee volunteering. However, we have not yet captured all of this and we’d love to do so.

Aspire-i has been a major supporter of the Living Wage and received accreditation as a Living Wage employer two years ago. Since the companies joined together, we have extended Living Wage into aspire-igen too. We were therefore very pleased to be awarded special recognition as a Living Wage Champion at a ceremony run by the Living Wage Foundation and Leeds Citizens on 3rd November.

We provide a range of keynote services aimed at changing lives for the better through learning and work:

National Careers Service (we are proud to be named as the best performing partnership) Shine: flexible, independent and professional careers information, advice and guidance for

schools and Colleges Connexions, including Leeds Youth Contract and Families First Aspire2work i study programme for 16-19 year olds LEP Headstart, LEP Apprenticeships Programme, Stepup2business and Careers Live Aspire International, including Venture, info4migrants, Stand Out in a Global Market and

Euroguidance

Now, let’s explore a bit more about our regional, national and European contexts…

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Regional backdrop

Our operations are closely aligned to the priorities of three regional Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs): Leeds City Region LEP, York, North Yorkshire & East Riding LEP and Humber LEP. Taking each in turn, here are some key statistics.

LEEDS CITY REGION LEPTotal population1 3,004,90

0There are 109,000 businesses in the area, earning £55 billion a year. This constitutes 5% of the total for England, and makes it larger than 9 EU economies. It is the UKs largest manufacturing centre with 133,000 jobs, and is the UKs largest regional centre for financial and professional services.

Working age (16-64)1

1,911,500

Economically active2

1,514,000

In employment2 1,420,200

JSA claimants3 36,984Jobs Density4: Jobs: 1,465,000 Job Density: 0.77 National JD: 0.80Multiple Deprivation Index5 17%

YORK, NORTH YORKSHIRE AND EAST RIDING LEPTotal population 1,143,10

0There are 48,210 businesses in the area, earning £21.7 billion a year. Manufacturing is the 6th largest centre in England, with food and accommodation being the 7th. The bioeconomy constitutes 10% of the economy and the National Agri-Food Innovation Campus complements skills building and development in the rural economy.

Working age (16-64)

698,800

Economically active

581,900

In employment 560,000JSA claimants 6,392

Jobs Density: Jobs: 569,000 Job Density: 0.81 National JD: 0.80Multiple Deprivation Index5 4%

1 ONS mid-year population estimates (2014)2 ONS Annual population survey (Jul 2014-Jun 2015)3 ONS Jobseeker’s Allowance (Oct 2015)4 The level of jobs per resident aged 16-64, for example, a job density of 1.0 would mean that there is one job for every resident aged 16-64.5 The Indices of Deprivation 2015: this Index represents the % of small areas (Lower-layer Super Output Areas – LSOAs) falling into the lowest 10% of LSOAs in the country

6

HUMBER LEPTotal population 923,900 There are 32,500 businesses in the

economy, less than 10% of which are professional, technical and scientific (17% nationally). The economy is strongly linked to ports & logistics, chemicals, and food processing. Petrochemicals/chemicals sector accounts for £6bn per year, despite our 90% rural area. Humber has the largest trading estuary in the UK, 4th largest in northern Europe (by tonnage).

Working age (16-64)

574,700

Economically active

451,400

In employment 421,400JSA claimants 14,535

Jobs Density: Jobs: 404,000 Job Density: 0.74 National JD: 0.80Multiple Deprivation Index5 27%

186900

1576700

1325500

998600

580600 133200

Leeds City Region LEP qualifications profile

No qualificationsNVQ1 or aboveNVQ2 or aboveNVQ3 or aboveNVQ4 or aboveOther qualifications

47300

607900

522500

407400

254800 35300

York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP qual-ifications profile

No qualificationsNVQ1 or aboveNVQ2 or aboveNVQ3 or aboveNVQ4 or aboveOther qualifications

7

53500

477600

399900

285000

152500 40300

Humber LEP qualifications profile

No qualificationsNVQ1 or aboveNVQ2 or aboveNVQ3 or aboveNVQ4 or aboveOther qualifications

8

National backdrop

National population = 62,756,3001

3,004,9001,143,100

923,900

Population

LEEDS CITY REGION LEPYORK, NORTH YORK-SHIRE AND EAST RID-ING LEPHUMBER LEP

LEEDS C

ITY REG

ION LEP

YORK, NORTH

YORKSHIRE A

ND EAST

RIDING LEP

HUMBER LE

P

NATIONAL

0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%90.00%

Comparison of LEPs and nationalkey statistics %

Working population (percentage aged 16-64)Economically active (percentage)In employment (percentage)

Leeds City Region is the largest by population of the three LEPs, and the key statistics relating to working population, those who are economically active and those in employment are broadly similar to each other and to the national average. However, there are substantial differences between the LEPs themselves.

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LEEDS CITY REGION LEP

YORK, NORTH YORKSHIRE AND EAST RIDING LEP

HUMBER LEP

NATIONAL

0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50%

JSA claimants (percentage)

The York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP has the lowest percentage of JSA claimants, while Humber LEP has the highest. This seems to suggest a link with the Index of Multiple Deprivation, where Humber has 27 areas falling into the most deprived 10% of areas in the UK, while York, North Yorkshire and East Riding has 4 and Leeds 17. All LEPs experience their share of infrastructure challenges, but the nature varies between the Leeds City Regions congestion and the often-poor rural transport links in the other two LEPs.

European context

Since the end of 1992, the European single market has enhanced the possibilities for people, goods, services and money to move around the EU as freely as within a single country. The start of economic

and monetary union (EMU) in 1999 gave economic and market integration further stimulus. The number of countries that have adopted the single currency increased 19 countries by 2015. This group of countries is known as the EU19. However, the EU now has 28 Member States (EU28), and it is these that are included as being the most relevant to this report. Clearly the Member States themselves differ considerably, along with their

respective economies. What follows is a summary of the economy, employment and trends in social inclusion within the EU28, followed by the key attractions of the EU for those wishing to work, study or volunteer there.

EconomyIn 2013, the total economic output of the world, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), was valued at almost €57.0 trillion, of which the EU28 accounted for a 23.7 %6. However, austerity has impacted the EU as well. The EU28 deficit, as a percentage of GDP had grown from 1.6% in 2006 to 3.2% in 2013 to give gross debt of €85.4 trillion.

In March 2010, the European Commission launched the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Its objective is to overcome the effects of the 2008 financial and economic crisis and prepare the EU’s economy for the next decade; integrated economic and employment guidelines have been revised within the context of this new strategy.

It is envisaged that the European Commission’s jobs, growth and investment package will focus on cutting regulation, making smarter use of existing financial resources and making flexible use of public funds in order to provide up to €300 billion in additional private and public investment over three years. This investment should be targeted towards: infrastructure; education, research and innovation; renewable energy and energy efficiency; youth employment.

6 Relative shares based on current price series in € terms, reflecting market exchange rates10

The internal market is seen as the best asset for meeting the challenges of globalisation. Strengthening the industrial base of the economy in the EU — by bringing industry’s share of GDP in the EU back to 20% by 2020 — is intended to ensure that Europe maintains its global leadership in strategic sectors with high value jobs. Among the objectives for this priority is creating a capital markets union, intended to make it easier for small businesses to raise money and make Europe a more attractive place for investment.

EmploymentThe working age range in each country differs, along with the work intensity, so direct comparisons between the EU28 and the regional summaries above are not possible. However, the table gives a summary of the key data along with indicators of differences between Member States.

EURO 28 Employment statistics7

Total population 508.2m

Highest median gross hourly earnings (Oct 2010) were recorded in Denmark (EUR 25.00), followed by Ireland (EUR 18.30) and Luxembourg (EUR 17.80). Lowest in Bulgaria (EUR 1.50), Romania (EUR 2.00), Lithuania (EUR 2.70) and Latvia (EUR 2.90).

Gender pay gap in 2013, women paid 16.4 % (on average) less than men. Smallest differences in Slovenia, Malta, Poland, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, Romania and Belgium (less than 10.0 % difference). Biggest gender pay gaps in Estonia (29.9 %), Austria (23.0 %), the Czech Republic (22.1 %) and Germany (21.6 %). Between 2006 and 2013, there was a 1.3 percentage point drop in the gender pay gap.

Working age (15-64)8

65.8m

Economically active

242.6m

In employment 217.8m

Unemployed 24.8m

Key trends in social inclusionUntil 2009, the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion had been falling steadily. However, in that year the trend reversed following the onset of the economic crisis. This unfavourable short-term trend has pushed the EU off its path to meeting the Europe 2020 Strategy’s target of lifting at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty or social exclusion by 2020.

The economic crisis has also influenced many of the other indicators in the social inclusion theme. Trends have deteriorated in the short term, in particular after 2009, with an increasing number of people being affected by one or more forms of poverty, namely monetary poverty, severe material deprivation, very low work intensity and long-term unemployment.

In contrast, trends have been favourable for most of the education indicators, especially for early school leavers and tertiary education. However, trends in adult education, as monitored through participation in lifelong learning, are less encouraging.

7 Data: August 2015. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.8 This figure indicates that many more people are employed outside these age parameters

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Key attractions of the EU for work, study or volunteering 3.5m UK jobs are linked to trade with other EU states EU citizens do not need a permit or visa to visit other EU countries, as long as they have a valid

passport 11 countries, out of the 28, charge no tuition fees for undergraduate study Many top ranked European universities now offer courses that are delivered in English In 2013, Germany launched a £1.2m campaign to attract young workers to fill a range of ‘all

expenses paid’ apprenticeships

Social Value – some technical stuff

Policy evaluation makes up an important part of the activities and budget of most OECD governments. HM Treasury plays a key role in verifying the effectiveness of different policy interventions and produces formal guidance on policy evaluation. The fundamental aim of government policy evaluation is to assess whether public funds are spent on activities that provide the greatest benefits to society (HM Treasury 2003). In the UK, this is assessed through cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and entails measuring all of the benefits and costs associated with the policy intervention. The preferred option is the one with the highest net social benefits over the full life of the policy and its legacy.

More recent evidence indicates that the wellbeing valuation approach offers a more holistic way to measure outcomes across a wide range of domains in a consistent, rigorous and cost-effective way. The approach now features as part of HM Treasury Green Book guidance and OECD guidance on policy evaluation and hence is prominent in government policy making.

Affinity Sutton, HACT and SImetrica used the wellbeing valuation approach to create the Social Value Bank, the largest robust and consistent set of monetary values for social outcomes. The approach is increasingly influential and the Social Value Bank report has been downloaded more than 3,000 times since its launch in 2014. Earlier analysis calculated values that represented the direct effect of outcomes (such as gaining employment) on people’s wellbeing. However, many outcomes might also improve people’s wellbeing indirectly, by improving their health, which in turn improves their subjective wellbeing. The Social Value Bank is being updated in light of these new values, which will then reflect that outcomes like gaining employment, improving finances, or volunteering could have measureable impacts on health.

Social Value BankWe have used the Social Value Bank to give the figures quoted in here, so let’s consider these a bit more. There are 8 headings, then subheadings that have monetary values attached to them depending on age (<25: 25-49: >50) and location (in or outside London):

Employment Environment Health Finance

Youth (for those under 25) Social Sport Hobbies

These headings are designed to draw together key activities that enhance our wellbeing as individuals, as families, as communities and as a nation. We know, for example, that health inequalities are deepened by financial inequalities that can lead to poorer diets, lack of exercise and depression. We

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know that poorer neighbourhoods experience more crime and anti-social behaviour (like graffiti, litter and vandalism) so that people don’t feel safe there, and sometimes don’t feel like they belong there. We know that education is hindered when children are hungry or have parents who struggle with parenting skills. These are BIG issues! How can aspire-igen possibly contribute to solving them?

We need to remind ourselves that what we do creates ripples… Firstly, the numbers: sessions that we run, people that we have contact with, and so on, are our OUTPUTS. Next, a change in status, for example from NEET to EET, represents our OUTCOMES, some of which will be attributable to us entirely, some will be attributable to our partners, our clients, and perhaps, their families. Finally, over time, our clients will experience changes in other areas, such as a rise in self-confidence, or feeling more in control of their lives, and these changes give us our IMPACTS. Although some of these results may be attributable to our initial actions, many other things will have happened since. We only claim the percentage of the social value where that we have evidence to support our contribution.

From the evidence that we have so far, it is difficult to put a value on the impacts, but we can start to give some indication of our social value so far, for those services where we have sufficient information. These values are only indicative at this stage - there is a robust process to validate them – but they give some idea as to the potential.

Aspire-igen has successfully navigated the complex landscape of funding sources - locally, nationally and internationally, to secure contracts that enable us to deliver our best services, in partnership with other agencies such as local authorities, in ways that are sustainable. Our size, range of services, depth of expertise and reach allow us to offer economies of scale without sacrificing the quality of our service. Underpinning all of this is a sound, value-based infrastructure from governance, to evaluation of our results, to finding innovative approaches to everything we do. All of our staff embody our values of being positive, respectful, expert and professional in dealing with clients, other professionals and with each other. We are, most definitely, NOT just ticking boxes – although we recognise that the boxes must be ticked!

What we do

The range of funded projects and programmes can be tricky to understand. However, it helps to consider each in terms of the age group that is supported, the pre-conditions for the client group (e.g. NEET or lacking in functional skills9 achievement) and whether the intended destination is further learning, employment or apprenticeship. There are then subsets relating to the support that can be offered to overcome the barriers to reaching these destinations. Sometimes it is developing functional skills, other times it is raising self-confidence and other times it is about compiling a CV or practising interview training. More often than not, the young people we are working with are also hindered by personal and/or family issues: many of them have not benefitted from a stable, happy childhood.

Everything that we do is driven by the desire to remove barriers to employment or learning. Often that means going the extra mile. That may be by providing travel training for those lacking the skills and confidence to travel by public transport, helping a client to find a home and support them to maintain their tenancy or providing smart clothes for interviews. As an example of the relationship we establish with out clients, one of our staff said, “I sent her a text wishing her luck on her first day back. She replied: That was such a lovely message to read! It made my day. It went great, thank you.”

9 Functional skills were introduced 2 years ago as an alternative approach for young people who had not gained GCSE Grades A-C in English, Maths and ICT. There are 5 levels of achievement in each subject: Entry Level 1,2 and 3 then Level 1 and Level 2. The foundation of Functional Skills enables young people to pursue higher-level qualifications, or to obtain employment that needs such skills.

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Our approach

The vast majority of people successfully negotiate the journey from school to further learning and employment, or changes in employment. For some people however, things can be more difficult. Where there are barriers to such progression, then we use casework to provide targeted support. All our programmes use the same approach to generate the best outcomes for both our high support need clients and for our funders. The programme elements include:

Designated key workers, with manageable caseloads, who are well trained and supported and who have the authority to make decisions because of their knowledge and expertise. As an example, our Operations Manager has now revised the Safeguarding Policy and Procedures and completed refresher training to ensure a single company-wide approach.

Frequent contact using a range of media such as phone calls, text messages, Facebook and Twitter and home visits where needed.

A wrap-around support service designed to deliver ‘whatever it takes’ to eliminate barriers to learning or employment. This includes support with self-confidence issues; travel training and helping clients negotiate complex issues such as housing and benefits.

Frequent contact and great communication with other agencies involved with our clients and with our clients themselves. This includes, of course, keeping everyone updated on progress but also includes us providing training for some of the agencies and sharing good practice.

We recognise that in some cases a whole-family approach is more effective rather than just focussing on one individual. We use a Think Family – Work Family approach to ensure that the young person can be supported through their family network, if there is one

Our success in winning contracts enables us to build long-term relationships with clients and support them via the range of funded projects as appropriate to their needs. As an example (name changed) we first worked with Naomi when she was in year 11 through the Connexions service. We were able to refer her to REAL West Yorkshire. From there she progressed to a Study Programme and has now gained an apprenticeship with Connexions. Naomi has just achieved NVQ L3 and is now managing triage at the city centre drop-in. She continues to develop by undertaking on-the-job training to develop the necessary experience to work with young people. Her ambition is to become a Connexions-type worker.

Our Programmes

Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)The National Careers Service is the publicly funded careers service for adults and young people (aged 13 or over) in England. Launched in April 2012, it brings together elements of previous publicly funded careers services for adults and young people. It provides information, advice and guidance on learning, training, career choice, career

development, job search, and the labour market. It can be accessed online, by telephone, and face to face (for people aged 19 and over). The remit of the Service is to provide “information, advice and guidance to help [customers] make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential, helpful and impartial advice, supported by qualified careers advisers.”10

We deliver the contract for the NCS in our region and our outputs and outcomes are summarised in the chart below.

10 https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx14

Summary of outputs and outcomes: Oct 2014 - Sept 2015

Humber

North Yorkshire

Bradford

Leeds

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000

11933

12544

14360

15216

611

697

527

681

SessionsJLO's

CommentaryThe chart above shows a total of 54,053 face-to-face careers advice sessions delivered to adults through the National Careers Service partnership, in each of the four areas, with at least 2,516 positive Job and Learning Outcomes.

The potential Social Value of being able to obtain advice locally is £1,474 per person. If we attribute 25% of this to aspire-igen’s efforts, that amounts to £19,918,530. The next step is to separate out the learning and job outcomes and consider the social value of that.

Job and learning outcomes across Yorkshire and Humber October 2014- September 2015

BradfordHumber

LeedsYork & North

Yorkshire

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

323 347

418

507

139

285

245

69

Job OutcomesLearning Outcomes

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Each job or learning outcome has direct benefits for participants, as well as indirect benefits for their families, the employers or learning providers, and the community as a whole. This last benefit would include any additional spend within the community resulting from the outcome. Other benefits may also be present, such as relief from anxiety or depression, improved health and wellbeing resulting from more social interaction.

Independent and Impartial Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance serviceSchools and colleges seek to provide careers education and guidance. However, because each school or college has its own needs and because of the complexity of the field, this is often outsourced. We contract directly with schools and colleges to provide a service that is tailored to their needs by

offering a range of choices from year 7 through to adults to provide the flexibility, independence and expertise needed. We hold the MATRIX standard for quality of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) and have breadth and depth of recognised experience and expertise, so they know they will get good quality of service.

Approximately 3,200 Schools Advice Sessions were delivered to school students in 2014/15, in addition to 2,700 sessions delivered to Post-16 NEET young people in Bradford on the aspire2work Study Programme. This gives a total of around 6,000 sessions delivered in the past year. Potential Social Value of being able to obtain advice locally is £1,474 per person. If we attribute 25% of this to aspire-igen’s efforts, that amounts to £2,211,000. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, we subsidise the cost of these careers programmes to ensure schools and colleges can offer the right support to more students.

Connexions Leeds gives support and advice to young people in Leeds aged 16-19 years who not in education, employment or training

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Total Job Outcomes = 1595Moving from Unemployment into work:

Social Value, per person, per yearFull time: £10,767 Part time: £1,229Secure job: £12,034Apprenticeship: £2,353Potential SV (full time for all) = £17,173,365

Total Learning Outcomes = 738

Social Value, per person, per yearGeneral training for job £1,567 Vocational training: £1,124Employment training: £807Government training scheme: £9,447Potential SV (general training for all) = £1,156,446

Figures based on Social Value Bank (Age unknown, outside London)

(NEET), and to young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities up to age 25. While most young people move into employment or further learning fairly smoothly, others may face barriers. Examples include those who:

Are leaving care Are teen parents or pregnant Have learning difficulties and/or disabilities Have issues with housing that make it difficult to stay in work or education Have been in custody Experience multiple barriers

To ensure that our services are as accessible as possible, they are offered through a range of modalities: online, by telephone, at drop-in sessions in a city centre location or in the local area. Where another professional or agency is supporting the young person, we ensure the young person knows that we can work together to help with support, and we signpost to other agencies where required. We are trained in Safeguarding and where necessary make referrals to appropriate agencies to protect the young person. We work in partnership with Leeds City Council as part of their ambition to make Leeds a more child friendly city.

From April 2014-March 2015, through Connexions, 903 young people moved from NEET to EET in the Leeds area. When the barriers faced by some of these young people are examined, the magnitude of this achievement can be understood more clearly. One of our partners told us how important the service had been to his most vulnerable Year 11 pupils, and another (member of pastoral care staff) commented, “Everything you have done has been invaluable.”

40%

16%14%

9%

14% 7%

Barriers faced by NEET to EET cohort 2013-14

Multiple barriers to EETLooked after/care leaversYoung offendersSpecial educational needsTeenage parent or pregnantOthers

So far in the financial year 2015/16, the numbers of young people moving from NEET to EET is 349, with 72% of those experiencing multiple barriers to EET.

Contract changes at the end of March 2014 meant that we needed to transfer many of our caseloads to other agencies and we took great care to work closely with the receiving agencies so that our clients felt safe and supported through the transition. Where Safeguarding issues were involved, we shared in the Common Assessment Framework processes by initiating or supporting CAF’s, making referrals to Social Care or attending Child Protection Conferences. We have received very positive feedback from both co-professionals and the young people that we have supported.

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“Connexions support has helped me with my life, helped me to find college and look at decisions. The support has helped me sort my life out as I didn’t know what to do. Everything is now back on track and I have a good future ahead of me.”

We also try to ensure that our clients are supported by our Think Family - Work Family approach. Examples from our staff include:

During a home visit a family member started to ask about how he could come off sickness benefit. As we talked, he expressed interest in practical work, so I sent him information on the Open Days at Leeds College of building (he may be exempt from fees as he is on benefits), information about a vacancy for a refuse collector and other useful job search websites.

Mum needed information and support with benefits so I supported her through the application process. I made phone calls on her behalf and made sure she had the information to do this herself in future. The older brother needed support with housing, so I signposted him to Great George Street and the younger sister, who is about to start college, needed information about travel and accessing bursary. Discussed this with her and mum, so that both were clear. I see the family regularly so got updates on their progress and provide more info if needed.

Our professional partners also enjoy working with us. A family support worker emailed saying what a great difference we were making to his client’s confidence and self-esteem, and an IAPT therapist commented that the support we provided helped the young person to become more outgoing and confident in going outside and using public transport. “Just want to let you know how great your Connexions teams are in referring young people onto the Study Programme. They have been supportive of the learners… and provided great IAG for very vulnerable young people.”

Families First In addition to our Connexions and Youth Contract work we have 3 Families First Lead PA’s working in our area teams. We use a whole family approach to achieve a range of outcomes with young people who are NEET or at risk of NEET. The chart below summarises the work from March-September 2015.

Caseload Outcomes Total

Families supported 75Young people moving from NEET to EET

25

Families supported with employment

20

Improved Domestic Abuse outcomes

8

Improved crime or ASB outcomes 9Improved school attendance 7Families with range of health issues

1

18

“I really didn’t think this appointment would come to anything, but you have helped more in one day than anything that I have been involved in over the years. You listened to what my daughter wanted and didn’t make her do anything she wasn’t ready for. Thank you.”

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This is a programme for 16-19 NEETs focussed on supporting young people to gain qualifications and practical work experience, moving into further learning or employment. We have 2 contracts: aspire-igen – delivered in Leeds, Doncaster, Dewsbury, Blyth, Hull & Barnsley and aspire-i - delivered in Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley and Wakefield, alongside a range of other partners – 22

just in the Leeds City Region. The chart below summarises the outcomes.

aspire2work - Aug 2014-July 2015Number Achieved

their qualifications

Number successful

aspire-igen 960 86% 826 aspire-i 544 92% 500 TOTAL 1,504 - 1,336

Linked to this is REAL West Yorkshire, the former ‘brand’ of the European Social Fund NEET Prevention Fund, an 18-month project that ended in June 2015. It funded entry level and level 1 learning for 14 to 18 year olds and was a perfect alternative to mainstream education for many 14-16 year olds. The 16-18 element focused on those clients that needed support to get their level 2 (functional equivalent) and ready for level 3 if possible. Of the 1,553 clients in this project, around a quarter (26%) had high support needs and were referred on - straight out

of year 11 and 12. Taking the three contracts together, the following destination outcomes resulted.

ProgrammeFurther

Learning Employment ApprenticeshipAspire2work (Aspire-i) 236 55 38Aspire2work (Aspire-igen) 288 113 43REAL West Yorkshire 725 6 -Total 1249 174 81

1249

17481

Destination outcomes for learning programmes - academic year 2014/15

Further learningEmploymentApprenticeship

20

The estimated social value of these outcomes is as follows:

Outcomes for learning programmes - academic year 2014/15Destination Number Social value indicator - all

'age unknown, outside of London'

Value from SV

Bank

SV allocated

(%)

Total estimated SV(£)

Further learning 1249 General training for job 1515 50 496,117Employment 174 Full time employment 10767 25 468,364Apprenticeship 81 n/a 2195 25 44,449TOTAL ESTIMATED SOCIAL VALUE 1,008,931

The statistics are essential, and to continue to be innovative, we use as many ways as possible to get feedback. From our most recent learner campaign - #feedback - 98% of our clients said they would recommend aspire2work to a friend, and 97% said the resources (computer/handouts/tools/materials) were helpful to the programme. When we asked them how much they had improved: 88% said they had improved in English more than or a lot more than they expected, 86% for maths, 91% working as a team, 89% motivation, 90% confidence and – best of all - 91% said they felt ready for work!

We are especially proud that the aspire-i contract that delivers in Bradford, an area of high deprivation, the Functional Skills rate is almost 66% - 3% more than the national rate of 63% - a figure that includes FE and Tertiary colleges as well as independent learning providers. Overall, we have achieved a Functional Skills outcome of 68%, which is 5% higher than the national rate and 15% higher than the provider group rate.

Leeds Youth Contract: Summary of outputs and outcomes The Leeds Youth Contract is delivered by aspire-igen in partnership with Leeds City Council for young people aged 15-17 who are NEET. The aim is to create a NEET-free Leeds City Region, and it continues to outperform the National Youth Contract. The end-of-contract target for Leeds is for 1,100 progressions, which was achieved as at 30 September 2015. All figures are cumulative since September 2012.

Through our networks and partners we have to date secured £321,950 contributions in kind from businesses and the voluntary sector to help us to provide such outstanding support to these young people. The average time to progression is 64.5 days.

“Some people have got family who can help them when things go wrong, but I’ve not got that. My keyworker helps me instead.”

Some of the young people we support are amongst the most vulnerable with multiple issues such as learning difficulties, disabilities and care leavers and these can present insurmountable barriers to employment and learning. Without such wrap-around support, many of these young people would have ‘fallen through the cracks’ resulting in financial exclusion and/or joblessness for the foreseeable future. Such a future can lead to other issues around health and wellbeing or social isolation. Key workers are also trained and updated, for example in Safe Talking re suicidal thoughts and feelings, mental health training, FGM, Child Sexual Exploitation and legal highs.

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OUTPUTSOver 1,600 employability sessions156 mock interviews 198 group assessments162 young people mentored72 work experience programmes300+ young people attending business events8 Inspiring Futures events170+ young people taking part in cluster projects

OUTCOMESSustained destinations (measured at 6 months in EET)

EDUCATION63.2%EMPLOYMENT13.4%APPRENTICESHIPS11.8%OTHER TRAINING 8.5%

What else does Youth Contract help with?Engagement projectsHelp with travelInterview clothes

Locality ProjectsCounsellingOutward BoundHerd FarmEmergency support fundCrisis support

Food BankEmployability skillsESOL

Indicative Social Value of Leeds Youth Contract (Measured at 6 months rate in EET)

Number

Social Value Bank figure

Value used Total Indicative Social Value

Education 400 £2,507 General training for job £1,002,800

Employment 85 £10,036 Full time £853,060

Apprenticeships 75 £1,756 Apprenticeship £131,700

Other training 54 £1,019 Vocational training £55.026

Total Indicative Social Value £2,042,586

OutcomesThe Leeds City Region was hailed as a leading area in Europe in tackling youth unemployment at a European knowledge exchange conference in October 2015. The URBACT programme brings

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1398 starts1,102

Progression to EET

633 sustained EET so far (6 months after progression)

together cities from across Europe to exchange good practice on how cities and city regions are addressing the number of young people that are not in employment, education or training (NEET). The Leeds City Region is the only UK city region that was invited to feature as a case study at the event due to its success in reducing youth unemployment, which has fallen by 60% in the last twelve months. A number of the LEP’s programmes, designed to create a NEET-free City Region, were highlighted as specific examples of good practice. The LEP’s devolved Youth Contract continues to outperform the national Youth Contract and has created opportunities for over 2,000 young people to participate in employment, education and training. We are proud to have contributed to the success of our young people – and the region – and with further evidence we might be able to demonstrate our contribution over the longer term.

The LEP’s Headstart programme works with employers and young people to support young people aged 18-24 who are long-term unemployed and claiming Job Seekers Allowance into gainful employment. From April 2015 to September 2015, 665 young people attended our Assessment Days with employers, 324 attended College Training days and 356 have gained work experience placements. This has resulted in 193 progressing into paid employment, 58 of which have been sustained for six months or longer.

Included in the programme of employability support is the Back2Life element that helps develop a young person’s confidence and self-esteem through social and emotional learning. When the young person is ready to attend an interview, Dress for Success (for women) and Get Smart (for men) helps with interview clothes and styling suggestions. The team also support young people with other issues, such as housing and benefit enquiries, job applications and GP registration. In-work support and engagement is maintained through phone calls, texts, e-mails, Facebook and Twitter. Until recently, Eat, Chat, Chill nights provided group support in a social setting. Once the young person has left the Headstart programme, contact is maintained to give continuity of support. Twitter and Facebook are also used to share job opportunities and this is a growing community.

The close working relationships of all the professionals involved means that any issues that arise can be dealt with quickly and information is shared effectively. Refresher training is provided to Job Centre staff to ensure continued visibility of the Headstart programme provision. The team has also shared their experience more widely and observers from across the region will attend some of our sessions with a view to extending their own good practice.

The LEP’s apprenticeship programme, which has to date helped nearly 2,000 young people into an apprenticeship role, was also highlighted as an example of a successful initiative that creates and sustains employment. Indicative Social Value of this, attributing 25% of the £2,353 per person to the programme, is £1,176,500.

We recognised that some young people have a burning ambition to start their own business, but they don’t know where to go for advice on whether their business idea is sound, how to get the right advice for start-ups and how to find appropriate sources of funding.

Bradford council were keen to support young people to start-up in business and because we also wanted to offer support for their entrepreneurial dreams we applied for funding provided through Bradford Council’s Get Bradford Working funds and developed Stepup2Business, to test out our ideas.The project is summarised below.

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Step up2Business

Careers LiveTo ensure that our region provides the best services that we can, we have funded Careers Live - a free conference organised by us every two years. The aim is to give Education Leaders, Careers Professionals and Learning Providers the opportunity to get up to date with current issues and best practice in careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG). In 2015, 210 delegates from 80 schools and colleges, plus people from councils and the world of careers heard about the latest developments in Careers Education and Guidance.

Careers Live is also supporting Leeds City Council’s IAG network through sponsorship and networking events. In addition we are arranging smaller Careers Live networking events which will be held twice a year and will enable Careers Professional and those with CEIAG responsibility, from across the three LEP areas we serve, to come together to share best practice and discuss matters of CEIAG

Aspire InternationalA recent British Council survey noted an increasing awareness amongst young people of the importance of international exposure. In fact, amongst the under-25 age group, 54% believed that a lack of global experience was holding them back from getting the job they really want.

Since 1992, we’ve supported people wanting to study, work or experience a gap year abroad. This support includes resources, such as School Study Packs to emphasise the benefits of learning a foreign language, web-based apps such as Venture and info4migrants; and events, such as Stand Out in a Global Market.

Growing need for reliable information

The realisation that employers value skills such as cultural awareness and the ability to work in diverse teams has prompted many students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. Despite this, only 24% of UK students felt they had sufficient information to make an informed decision about studying abroad, and their preferred source of information was the Internet. Venture was developed to meet this demand for reliable, online information. It offers impartial advice on studying and working in 54 countries across the

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Step Up2Business

Started November 2013Upskill and train young people's workforce to support young people in pre-enterprise developmentDevelop ‘pop up’ enterprise spaces that cater for young people’s varying business start up needs in a range of locations.

Outputs 93 young people's workforce practitioners trainedEngaged with 65 young people through a "Dragons' Den" competitionEngaged an enthusiastic Ambassador who promotes enterprise, has appeared on BBC's The Apprentice and who inspires young people

Outcomes Longer-term support to help turn young people's enterprise ideas into legitimate businessesSignposted young people to other relevant support around the districtCreated a bank of resources to support young people's enterprise and business ideas

world in one easy-to-use online resource. Our subscribers range from some of the UK’s biggest universities, to regional and national careers services, schools and libraries.

For those individuals who choose to study in one of the EU countries where undergraduate programmes are free to UK citizens (such as Sweden, Denmark or Germany) this represents a saving to the person and/or their family of £27,000 per person during their degree course, and will help reduce post-graduation debt.

For people arriving in the UK, info4migrants is another useful online resource, free at present, in a range of languages. It can found in Careers Services or Libraries, and has had over 10,000 hits since its launch on 1 June 2015!

And we also venture abroad ourselves, too! At the Salon de l’Education, a European Village/Careers Fair, we send 2 staff for 4 days, representing the UK across Europe. They didn’t get much sightseeing time, though. Between 1,500 and 3,000 visitors came each day to the event, so they DID get to practice their language skills! For every visitor to the UK from abroad, they contribute to the UK economy, whether they are studying or working.

The Aspire international team also developed and hosts a helpline for Careers Advisers (and a few individuals) dealing with over 2,000 enquiries a year. In common with all helpline models, the initial query is only escalated to second level (an adviser calls the Aspire international team) when it is too complex for the front-line advisers. Where the query cannot be resolved at this level, then the Aspire international team take the query direct from the client. So the 2,000 enquiries per year that come to the helpline team is the proportion of around 24,000 calls from clients seeking advice, help and guidance. The potential Social Value of being able to obtain advice locally is £1,474 per person. If we attribute 25% of this to aspire-igen’s efforts, that’s £737,000 - just for the 2,000 queries that reach the helpline team.

How do we do it?

The statistics are impressive! But how is all this accomplished? Well, it’s much more than just providing information, advice and guidance – important though that is! Our staff are passionate about doing “Whatever it Takes” to move people forward to a more favourable position and towards employment. In the words of one member of staff:

“We have:

Bought interview clothes, and uniforms for placement (and discovering this need led to a new initiative ‘Look Smart’, providing interview clothes for men)

Taken young people to interviews

Supported young people to change doctors so they can access essential medication

Helped young people move house

Been one of the few constants in the lives of young people who are no longer living with their family

Listened to young people when they are upset or troubled

Provided a supportive, caring and effective learning environment where learners achieve their main aim

Challenge views so that we are changing, in small ways, a young person’s outlook on life and their future”

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Although the numbers may be impressive, what REALLY excites our people is the effect that their actions have on lives. The same member of staff commented on what had been achieved for some of the people she knew:

A young person, who has been in trouble with the police, was sofa surfing and has alcohol issues BUT he is sticking with his programme. We are confident that he has a bright future ahead of him – it could so easily have gone a less favourable way (and still could!). He has a more stable residence, is drinking less, hasn’t been in trouble for a while - hope we haven’t spoken too soon!

A young person who we’ve been working with on Youth Contract for several years is slowly coming out of his shell, as he was badly bullied and beaten up in the past, and is now ready to engage in learning. We’re still there for him and we’ll make sure he’s placed with someone appropriate even if it isn’t with us.”

The passion shines through these comments! However, the figures are important, so she also reports that, “…we’ve engaged with 293 young people on Youth Contract, 90 directly on ESF with over 500 being supported by key workers on ESF and approximately 50 on the Study Programme.

Another member of staff wants to celebrate the success of aspire-igen’s Functional Skills outcome of 68%, which is 5% higher than the national rate and 15% higher than the provider group rate! He also was delighted to report that 90% of the aspire-igen students who undertook a qualification achieved it! These and our other outcomes provide aspire-igen students with excellent transferable skills that will help them to secure their future aspirations and will have positive social impact across our region.

We also campaign actively, alongside our LEPs, to protect the funds that come into our region to support provision for NEETs. As part of this, we have investigated the NEETs and Not Known figures to achieve more accurate reporting. In November 2014, we hit an all-time low of 6.3% NEET at the critical point for measuring success.

As a measure of our success, the Not Known figures are now stable at 2.2%-2.3%, down from 5.9% in April 2013. Although this is higher than anyone would want, we have lowered these figures at a time when around 55% of our workforce has left due to 2 rounds of cuts, so this is a big achievement.

In the current time of austerity we support our partners with training as well as sharing good practice. As an example we ran sessions for Social Workers to show how they could use the Connexions service to better support their young people, ran a Leeds city-wide Practitioner Meeting, for all staff who support young people into learning and we organised a further city-wide Practitioner Meeting focused on Young People and Mental Health. On average, over 120 people attend these events. We consult and respond to the requests from delegates in terms of what they need at the next one. It reduces training costs for these organizations and helps spreads our expertise – sadly, we cannot reach all the young people we’d like.

What else?

We also know how important it is to support our local communities. They provide the kind of support that only a neighbourhood can. People in communities are doing amazing work to make their neighbourhood a better place. Whether it’s keeping an area of land tidy or providing specialist support for marginalised groups it’s an important service that would impoverish the community if it no longer existed. In addition to all that, research shows us that volunteering has an impact on health and wellbeing as people get out more, make friends and feel they play an important role in their community.

To help support the amazing people and groups who provide these opportunities, we use some of our resources to offer support through the Community Fund. Organizations bid for funds for specific

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projects that will help them improve their services. A summary is given below of some of the organizations we were proud to support in 2015.

aspire-igen Community Fund

Organisation Details of activity supported Direct beneficiaries

Indirect beneficiaries

Bradford Sea Cadets Refurbishment of the Sea Cadets' boat, "Paddy", with new parts enabling the Cadets to gain water-based and team working skills.

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CONTACT Peer Support (Bradford & District)

Purchase of specialist IT equipment to help visually impaired learners to read and produce documents and surf the web, and complete work towards an accredited qualification.

76 30

Disability Rocks Development of a 13-week music programme for disabled learners from diverse backgrounds, leading to opportunities to perform at a festival.

12 6

Friend at Beechcliffe Purchase of portable cameras and equipment to support disabled children in learning activities, particularly those who are not able to communicate.

57

Friends of Denso Marston nature reserve

Specialist equipment to enhance learning for adults and young people using the Reserve for learning opportunities.

1884 720

Newlands Furniture Services

Equipment so that local residents can renovate used furniture, enabling reduction of waste, development of new skills in the centre and supporting people in poverty through refurbished goods.

32 195

Roots Ltd Training and support to develop the abilities of BAME community members to act as Directors/Trustees establishing a not-for-profit community organisation in an area of deprivation.

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St Mary's New Horizons

Equipment for the centre to increase capacity to help socially isolated older people.

100 500

SNOOP Purchase of iPads for the use of disabled young people from a deprived area who are working towards their first qualification in Independence and Life

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Organisation Details of activity supported Direct beneficiaries

Indirect beneficiaries

Skills training.

Safet T Production of a short film and guide for transgendered young people, explaining their rights and giving practical advice, and an associated quick guide for employers and organisations.

19 150

Saheli Contribution towards purchase of sewing machines for classes to engage women of all ages who learn skills to enhance employment chances, especially those isolated through low levels of English.

18 33

The Bradford Toy Library

Purchase of a Sensory Suitcase for use in the community, both by parents of (mostly disabled) children and community occupational therapists working with this group.

400

Aspire-igen Staff Volunteering

As well as our Community Fund, we were excited to learn that many our staff are volunteers in their communities. In every case it shows commitment on the part of our staff, and we are heartened to know that there is such generosity in the way our staff give their time and talents. The table below gives a snapshot of where staff volunteer.

Organisation Role of volunteerChildren in NeedComic Relief

Fundraising

ERASMUS+ programme Member of UK stakeholder group

European Lifelong Guidance Policy network Euroguidance representative

UK European VET stakeholder group MemberBetter Leeds Communities ChairBradford Forster Academy GovernorWest Yorkshire SRG (senior group for 14-19 Council leads in West Yorkshire)

Member

AELP Foundation Special Interest Group MemberBradford Bronte Rotary club TreasurerCommunity cafe in Ilkley run for people with learning disabilities

Volunteer

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Organisation Role of volunteerLongroyd Junior School Rastrick Chair person for the

school PFA (Parents and Friends Association)

PRISM city farm TrusteeSchool GovernorVarious FundraisingOIL - Motor Vehicle Learning Provision in Leeds Internal VerifierRipon YMCA Trustee

Nidderdale Agricultural Society - Nidderdale Show

Ground StewardHelp plan for and oversee outdoor trade stands

Sea Cadet Unit in Keighley Civilian Instructor attend training sessions or to coach the cadets in activities such as kayaking

MacMillans coffee morning FundraisingYouth Justice Service Appropriate AdultLet’s Get Better Together Assist with social mediaGet Smart Promote and support the

scheme

There is also a great pool of talent from aspire-igen that mentors and sponsors in a wide variety of organisations, some of which are related to our core business, but some of which are not, such as the Ilkley Literary Festival, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Geraldine Connor Foundation.

Donations

We also make one-off donations to causes that we are eager to support. Some of these are listed below. Others were included in the volunteering activities listed above and funds raised were paid directly to the charity. Donation to Date Amount

2013One In a Million January 2013 £200Springfield Care Home January 2013 £150Lord Mayors Appeal February 2013 £1700Employee chosen donation June 2013 £75Kala Sangham November 2013 £2000TOTAL 2013 £4,125

2014Staying Put Charity January 2014 £130Cancer Research UK April 2014 £100

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Cancer Research UK June 2014 £150TOTAL 2014 £380

2015NSPCC January 2015 £690Jamyang Buddhist Centre January 2015 £250Bradford College February 2015 £50Whizz Kidz March 2015 £50YMCA March 2015 £50Struggling African family April 2015 £150Children in Need Appeal November 2015 £1,922TOTAL 2015 (to mid-Nov 2015) £3,162

What more would SV give us?

As you see, aspire-igen isalready doing a lot! We don’t want to have to do something extra that is burdensome, unsustainable and takes us away from our main priorities of helping people change their lives through learning and work. We think we have found a way to avoid that.

The question then is, “What would Social Value Accounting give us that we don’t already have?” There are some key areas that would benefit. More systematic Social Value work would:

Enable young people and our other clients to be heard more clearly

Enable our partners to contribute their thoughts more clearly

Enable our communities to strengthen their voices

Improve our evidence of outcomes and impacts, including many indirect ones

Improve our social value reporting to use in contract bids

Ensure that our staff, partners, clients, suppliers and communities become more aware of the full range of what we do – and the impact that it has on changing lives

In other words, we would be able to demonstrate conclusively that we really DO change lives for the better through learning and work! AND to show how far out the ripples go!

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Social Value Bank licensing information

The use of values contained in the Social Value Bank, including the headline figures provided for illustration within the Guide and the values used or accessed via the Value Calculator, is covered by licensing conditions.

Social Value Bank values by Lizzie Trotter, Jim Vine, Matt Leach, Daniel Fujiwara is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Based on a work at http://www.hact.org.uk/measuring-social-impact-community-investment-guide-using-wellbeing-valuation-approach.

Title: Community investment values from the Social Value Bank Authors: HACT and Daniel Fujiwara (www.hact.org.uk / www.simetrica.co.uk) Source: www.socialvaluebank.org License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en_GB)

Social Value Bank Data

This analysis was conducted using the British Household Panel Survey, Understanding Society and the Crime Survey for England and Wales under licence by the Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS). Responsibility for the analysis and interpretation of these data is solely that of the author.

References

HM Treasury (2003) The Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government

Fujiwara, Daniel and Campbell, Ross (2011) Valuation Techniques for Social Cost-Benefit Analysis: Stated Preference, Revealed Preference and Subjective Well-Being ApproachesA Discussion of the Current Issues

HM Treasury (2015) The Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central GovernmentFirst published: 18 April 2013. Last updated: 20 October 2015

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