YEP Funding to Help Young People Move Forward

Harry YEP Participant

Good news for young people in Cornwall. Employment and Enterprise has secured funding from Youth Futures Foundation. The funding will be used to deliver a Randomised Control Trial of the Youth Engagement Project (YEP).

YEP is designed to help young people build confidence and develop new skills. The aim is to support them into education, employment or training. The project helps young people overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

The trial will run from September 2026 to December 2027, with the final evaluation reports completed in December 2028. The purpose of the trail is to understand the impact of YEP. The trial will identify the types of support that help young people to achieve positive outcomes. An independent research organisation, Cordis Bright, will carry out the evaluation.

‘We’re excited to be partnering on the evaluation of YEP with Cornwall Council, Youth Futures Foundation, and young peer researchers from Cornwall. This is a valuable and timely opportunity to build the evidence base for ‘what works’ to strengthen young people’s employment outcomes, at a time when this is at the forefront of the national conversation.’ - Cordis Bright Representative.

The programme is open to young people aged 16 to 24 who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). Over the lifetime of the trial, YEP will support 1,004 young people across Cornwall through one of two potential support pathways.

Every young person who joins the project will attend an initial meeting. This will help identify the support they need and explain the programme. Young people will then be placed randomly into one of two support pathways.

Pathway One - Young people will receive support for up to six months. They will meet with a keyworker every two weeks. They will also receive one-to-one employability support and life skills support. In addition, they will take part in functional skills sessions delivered in small groups.

Pathway Two - Young people will receive support for up to six months. The first half of delivery - up to 12 weeks - will focus on confidence, motivation and life skills via one-to-one sessions and small group activities. Young people will receive support through one-to-one sessions and small group activities. They will also have a weekly check-in with their keyworker.

The second half of delivery - 12 weeks - is Pre-Employment Vocational Training (PEVT). Young people can choose from five job sectors. The training will help them gain experience and build workplace skills. It will also help them learn more about different careers.

Every young person who takes part in the project will receive support, throughout the project. They will have access to guidance, encouragement and opportunities to help them move forward.

YEP recognises that life events can affect a young person's ability to access education, employment or training. The project provides practical help and ongoing support. This helps young people overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

YEP has already made a difference to many young people. With the right skills and support, they are building confidence and making positive choices. More young people are moving into education, employment or training. This trial will help us identify the support that has the greatest impact. We can then build on what works well, improve our services and help even more young people across Cornwall succeed.