Evaluation of the Volunteering Works Programme, Blackpool Council

ERS was appointed in November 2010 by Blackpool Council to evaluate its Volunteering Works (VW) Programme. The study will assess the impact of the pilot programme on clients and volunteering organisations whilst informing future interventions by highlighting good practice and lessons learnt.

The VW Programme is a bespoke employment support opportunity that combines structured volunteering with education and training and is designed around the needs and aspirations of longer term benefit claimants with the ultimate aim of moving them into sustainable paid employment. The Programme provides a structured volunteering placement, matched to a chosen occupational area, along with vocational training and job search activity as a pathway towards mainstream paid employment.

The research methodology will inform a comparison of the VW Programme relative to similar interventions and assess its impact utilising a model developed by ERS to assess the impact of worklessness projects on the individual, local economy and national exchequer. The results will be presented in the form of before and after scenarios within client case studies to highlight the economic advantage (actually/potentially) generated by the Programme in the short, medium and longer term. The case studies will also provide an analysis of distance travelled by each client including an analysis of barriers to engagement, progression along the employability journey, the impact and added value of the volunteer placement and perceptions of the support provided.

ERS Contact:

Jamie Buttrick
E-mail: jbuttrick@ers.org.uk
Tel: 0191 244 6104

Torbay Economic Strategy

Connect2 Community Involvement

Volunteering Works Evaluation

Regeneration Select Committee

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