Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 7
The Authors 8
Abbreviations 9
Summary 10
1. Introduction 16
1.1 Integrating Employment and Skills 16
1.2 The IES trials 17
1.2.1 Skills screening and referral 18
1.2.2 The Skills Health Check 18
1.2.3 Nextstep/nextstep service levels 19
1.3 The trial areas 19
1.4 Research aims and objectives 20
1.5 Overview of the research design 20
1.6 Research with staff 22
1.7 Research with customers 23
1.7.1 Sampling, recruitment and fieldwork 23
1.7.2 Customer sample profile 23
1.8 Interpretation of findings 25
1.9 Structure of this report 25
2. Implementation and set-up 26
2.1 Training 26
2.1.1 Training at Jobcentre Plus 26
2.1.2 Training at nextstep 27
2.1.3 Joint training 27
2.2 Learning from the early trials 27
2.3 Key points 28
3. The customer journey (1): skills screening and referral at Jobcentre Plus 29
3.1 The New Jobseeker Interview 29
3.1.1 Skills screening 29
3.1.2 Time pressures 30
3.1.3 Signposting 30
3.1.4 Customer experience 31
3.2 The 13-week interview 31
3.2.1 Skills screening 32
3.2.2 The customer experience 32
3.3 The 26-week interview 33
3.4 Making appropriate referrals to nextstep 33
3.4.1 Who to refer 33
3.4.2 When to refer 35
3.4.3 The relationship between IES and other initiatives 35
3.5 Referral-related paperwork and recording of qualifications 36
3.6 Understanding the nextstep interviews 37
3.6.1 Jobcentre Plus advisers' understanding 37
3.6.2 Customer expectations 38
3.7 Making a nextstep appointment 38
3.7.1 The customer experience 39
3.8 Failure to attend 39
3.9 Referral to provision other than nextstep 40
3.10 Key points 41
4. The customer journey (2): nextstep interviews and follow-up 42
4.1 The Skills Health Check process 42
4.1.1 The customer experience 43
4.2 The Skills Diagnostic Tool 43
4.2.1 The customer experience 44
4.3 Skills Action Plans 44
4.3.1 The customer experience 45
4.4 Follow-up by nextstep and Jobcentre Plus 45
4.4.1 Follow up by nextstep 45
4.4.2 Follow up by Jobcentre Plus 46
4.5 Key points 47
5. The customer journey (3): onward referrals from nextstep 48
5.1 Types of onward referral from nextstep 48
5.2 Labour market needs 49
5.3 Range of available provision 50
5.4 Customers' attitudes to learning 51
5.5 Barriers to training 51
5.6 Monitoring processes: attendance, attainment, progression 52
5.7 Key points 52
6. Impacts on customers 53
6.1 Jobseeking and employment 53
6.2 Learning and personal development 54
6.3 Career direction 54
6.4 CV development 54
6.5 Key points 55
7. Cross-cutting issues 56
7.1 Customer perceptions of integration 56
7.2 Working relationships 57
7.3 Joint-working at management level 57
7.4 Co-location 58
7.4.1 Benefits of co-location 58
7.4.2 Co-location predating IES 59
7.4.3 Impact on customers 59
7.5 Data sharing and IT 59
7.6 Culture change 60
7.6.1 Jobs and skills 60
7.6.2 Understanding the trials 60
7.7 Key points 61
8. Conclusions and recommendations 62
8.1 The trials are up and running 62
8.2 Screening and referral processes are improving 62
8.3 Co-location works 63
8.4 Jobseekers see the benefits 63
8.5 The service is not yet fully integrated 63
8.6 Recommendations 65
Table 1.1 IES launch dates for trial districts 20
Table 1.2 Timing of fieldwork rounds by Jobcentre Plus district 21
Table 1.3 Breakdown of research 22
Table 1.4 Breakdown of customer characteristics 24