New £1m trial launches to help young people find education, work and training

Around 1,000 young people will be taking part in a new £1m trial to identify the best ways to help them find education, work and training.

The new trial launches this week in Cornwall to identify the best types of support to help those who want to get back into education. It is being run through Cornwall Council’s YEP (Youth Engagement Project) team and aims to support around 1,000 young people across the Duchy.

The trial has been funded by Youth Futures Foundation, a national not-for-profit organisation that works to ensure marginalised young people can thrive. Called a Randomised Controlled Trial, it will run from September 2026 until September 2027.

Councillor Hilary Frank, Cabinet Minister for Children, Schools and Families at Cornwall Council, said: “This funding gives us an important opportunity to help support more young people who are looking for education, employment or training.

“Our Youth Engagement Project has already made a huge difference to many young people who have been given the right support to build confidence, develop new skills and take their next step.

“This trial will help us understand which approaches have the greatest impact. Then we can build on what works, strengthen the support we provide and help even more young people across Cornwall succeed.” Under the trial, young people aged 16–24 who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET) will be supported through one of two pathways. Everyone who joins the project will attend an initial meeting to help identify the support they need and explain the programme. Young people will then be randomly placed into one of the pathways:

Pathway One

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 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: leisure, hospitality, construction, digital and horticultural. The training will help them gain experience and build workplace skills. It will also help them learn more about different career paths.

Pathway Two

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

At the end of the trial, an independent research organisation, Cordis Bright, will carry out the evaluation. A spokesperson for Cordis Bright said: “We’re excited to be partnering on the evaluation of YEP with Cornwall Council, Youth Futures Foundation, and young peer researchers. “This is a valuable and timely opportunity to build the evidence for ‘what works’ to strengthen young people’s employment outcomes, at a time when this is at the forefront of national conversation.”

For more information visit the YEP page on Cornwall Council’s website.