This project aims to explore the effectiveness and outcomes of Generation UK’s skills bootcamps for young people (18 – 25 years old) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The aim of the preliminary stage (March – July 2026) will be to gain an in-depth understanding of how the skills bootcamp programme is delivered and prepare for the second stage involving an RCT.
Generation UK staff who are involved in the programme delivery, referral agency staff and past applicants and participants in Generation UK’s skills bootcamps.
The preliminary stage will consist of interviews with programme delivery staff, staff at referral agencies and past applicants and participants in Generation UK’s skills bootcamps. It will also include document reviews, refinement of the Theory of Change and review of data from Generation UK’s Learning Management System.
Participation will involve taking part in an online interview with a member of the NFER research team, which will last for 20 – 45 minutes depending on who is being interviewed. Interviews will explore why past applicants and participants applied for the skills bootcamp, what they are doing now and their career plans, the role of referral agencies and programme delivery and intended outcomes.
Full details of the requirements of participants in the preliminary stage can be found in the relevant participant information sheets.
Participation in the preliminary stage of this research will help NFER determine the feasibility of an RCT that will explore the effectiveness of skills bootcamps in improving outcomes for young people who are NEET. Skills bootcamps are one of the government’s flagship responses to the increasing problem of young people who are NEET, and Generation UK is a notable provider. There is a real need for high-quality evidence on what works, why and for whom in this policy area.
While there are other evaluations of such programmes, this will be one of the first RCTs of a pre-employment vocational training (PEVT) programme for young people who are NEET. As such, it will contribute to growing a high-quality evidence base on the impact of PEVT on employment outcomes for young people who are NEET.
The preliminary stage of the project will run from March 2026 to July 2026.
NFER or Generation UK will invite past applicants and participants of Generation UK’s skills bootcamps, referral agency staff and Generation UK programme deliverers to be interviewed by NFER. A separate information sheet will be provided in September 2026 about signing up and participating in the RCT.
If you have any questions or would like further information about the research, please contact the project team at [email protected] if you have any questions.
