Individual Training Accounts: evaluation

Annex B: Analysis of the Focus Groups

Method

To complement the quantitative survey of programme applicants and participants, eight qualitative focus group discussions took place in mid-June 2022. These groups followed the quantitative work, enabling recruitment based on survey findings to identify specific groups of interest. The groups were defined by a range of factors, including whether people were in or out of work at the time of their application and the sector in which they chose to study their ITA, alongside other factors (including whether they topped up their ITA for their course, and whether their course had helped them to find a job).

The focus groups were designed to provide a more detailed understanding of the participant journey through the programme – looking at motivations for applying, the application process, experience of the programme, and outcomes following the programme. The group environment stimulates lively discussion – moments of consensus and disagreement – which allows researchers to appreciate the full breadth of opinion on a topic area, as well as which opinions are most and least prevalent.

The information below shows the specification for each focus group, and the date on which they took place. Group definitions were dictated by areas of interest and availability of sample.

Participant focus group specification

Group 1

Date: 11^th May

Work status at time of application: Out of work

Sector: Construction

Other: Mix of topped up / not topped up

Group 2

Date: 11^th May

Work status at time of application: In work

Sector: Fitness, Health and Beauty

Other: Mix of topped up / not topped up

Group 3

Date: 12^th May

Work status at time of application: In work

Sector: Social Care

Other: Mix of topped up / not topped up

Group 4

Date: 12^th May

Work status at time of application: In and out of work

Sector: Transport

Other: Mix of topped up / not topped up

Group 5

Date: 18^th May

Work status at time of application: In and out of work

Sector: Any sector other than those above

Other: Anyone who topped up ITA

Group 6

Date: 18^th May

Work status at time of application: Out of work

Sector: Any

Other: Those who said the ITA had helped them find a job

Group 7

Date: 19^th May

Work status at time of application: In and out of work

Sector: Any

Other: Those who used an ITA more than once and those who said they'd like to be able to do more than one ITA a year

Group 8

Date: 19^th May

Work status at time of application: In work

Sector: Any

Other: -

The groups also consisted of a mix of people based on their personal characteristics (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, location) and other ITA-related factors (e.g., how recently they applied, how many times they had used ITAs). This ensured that different voices were heard in the feedback, and the groups represented the full spectrum of people who apply to the programme.

The recruitment process was managed by one of Progressive's Senior Operations Managers. Eligible participants in each group of interest (i.e. those that agreed to participate in further research, provided contact information, and were available during the fieldwork period) were contacted by email, introducing the purpose of the qualitative research, the date/time of the focus group and asking participants to confirm interest/attendance. Subsequent emails were sent to re-confirm sample information and where incentives for participation should be sent.

Six people were due to attend each group, but groups were deliberately overrecruited to account for dropouts. Between 3 and 7 people attended each group. In total, 43 participants took part in the focus groups. Groups took place online, over Zoom video-conferencing platform. All participants were given £40 as a thank you for participating.

All groups were recorded and transcribed to ensure all viewpoints were fully captured. Transcriptions and recordings were revisited throughout the analysis phase to cross-reference group findings and build a comprehensive narrative on the findings. All members of the project team were involved in the review, interpretation and discussion of the results.

The findings are set out as follows:

• Taxonomy of programme participants
• Motivations for applying to the programme, including:
  • Programme awareness
  • Knowledge of programme entry requirements
• Experiences of applying, including:
  • Whether considered other courses
  • Decisions around topping up ITA funding
• Experience of the training
• Outcomes following the programme
• Impact of Covid-19
• Improvements to the programme

Taxonomy of participants

Analysis of the data suggests there are broadly three types of people that apply to the ITA programme. This taxonomy goes some way to explaining people's motivation for applying, their experience of the programme, and the outcomes of participation – it will be referenced throughout this annex. These groups, and their defining characteristics, are described below:

• Work-dependents: people in this group have applied for ITA funding with an immediate career-related goal in mind. They need proof of course attendance either as a pre-requisite for their current role, to re-enter the job market in their chosen field, or to secure a pay rise.
• Aspirants: people in this group have applied for ITA funding with a future career goal in mind. Aspirations may be short or long-term. Some in this group may have a desire to retrain for a different career, others may be starting their career and need a qualification for a university course, or they may be thinking about setting up their own business. They may be in or out of work at the time of application.
• Curious learners: people in this group have applied for ITA funding without a specific career goal in mind. They might be wanting to learn a new skill, or 'go back to school', often for reasons of personal interest and self-development. They may be in or out of work at the time of application.

Work-dependents

For this group, ITAs are viewed as 'a means to an end'. They provide evidence of a skill that is a pre-requisite to remain in work, or secure entry-level work in a specific field. Participants in certain sectors such as Construction and Transport, where continuous proof of job competency is required from a health and safety perspective, were particularly likely to fall into this category.

As these people need proof of skills as a pre-requisite for work, they were generally more willing to pay for their course using their own money, but courses of this nature (CSCS, SIA, forklift training) tend to be fully covered by ITA funding. These people typically have positive outcomes as a result of participating on the programme – they frequently reported that they were still in work or had a job to go to following completion of the course.

"It's helped me stay in employment because I've always worked in construction, so it's helped me."

Male, Construction

Despite these positive outcomes, it is worth noting the generally lower level of engagement people in this group had with the programme. Many had done the same ITA multiple times and were therefore not being necessarily 'upskilled' through participation in the programme, with a view to career development.

"Also, if you're already in [a job] and need that badge, you're going to keep the job. But it's not really something that kind of necessarily opens doors with folk."

Male, Construction

Aspirants

For this group, ITAs are viewed as an investment with an uncertain outcome. People in this group have a genuine desire to upskill, pursuing long-term career goals. The programme gives them an opportunity to gain job-related skills in an area of interest, with many planning additional training or in the process of making job applications for their chosen career.

"I knew I wanted to find a job that I really wanted. I wanted help finding a career."

Female, Fitness, Health and Beauty

Many of these individuals were young, having just left school or university, and were looking to supplement their education and skills with a specific career goal in mind, or secure better-quality work.

"It wasn't actually until I was in university, and I was looking to gain employment that I started looking into these courses to see if I could stand out from everyone else. So, I did a course back then, but also did the leadership and management one as well. With the job that I am in at the moment, [the courses have] helped me progress."

Female, Out of work (at the time of application)

Despite positive engagement with the programme, using it to achieve key objectives like upskilling and career progression, these people generally want more from the programme – more funding for advanced courses; and scope to undertake more than one course per year.

Curious learners

This group view the programme as an opportunity to pursue an interest, or develop a skill, but not with a career goal in mind. They are attracted to the idea of lifelong learning, keeping their minds active, and are highly invested in their courses (unlike some in the Work-dependent category).

People in this group are at various stages of life – some are waiting to start a university course, some are working part-time, some are at the end of their working life – but they all have spare time for studying and actively seek out learning opportunities as a means of personal enrichment and development. Some go further, driven by philanthropy, using the skills from their course in a voluntary capacity, or to support their family/friends.

As they do not have a specific career goal in mind, they are often choosing between multiple courses, and were most likely to be considering non-ITA courses. They are also risk averse, not wanting to commit large sums of money to training programmes.

"I did look at other counselling courses just to see. I didn't blindly do the course that my colleague said. I looked to see what would be most suitable and location and the timing of the course to fit in because it's every week. I wanted to pick one that would have a day where I could actually go consistently."

Female, Social Care

"I do not want to, say, do a college course. It is very expensive; it can cost thousands. And it is a big commitment. When you are not sure, the ITA courses are very attractive."

Female, Fitness, Health and Beauty

Motivations for applying to the programme

How participants heard about the programme?

People heard about ITAs through a range of channels, the most common being the jobcentre and other employability organisations such as Remploy Scotland. Many spoke of jobcentre work coaches recommending the programme as a means of gaining work-related skills that would increase their employability. People in a variety of situations (long-term unemployed, recent redundancy, Covid-related redundancy) were introduced to the programme through this channel. While most were recommended courses related to their previous employment (in Construction and Transport), others were introduced to new sectors where they did not have any experience. This gives some positive indication that the programme is reaching people seeking employment and improving access to work – one of the key objectives of the programme.

"[The] jobcentre informed me so they could apply in my name for [an] ITA to do a forklift ticket. I agreed to that, [so it was a] recommendation… from the jobcentre."

Male, Transport

"Yeah. It was just purely… I was struggling to get work. I just thought, maybe, try one of the courses and see if I can get a job kind of relating to it."

Male, Out of work

Other people became aware of the programme through work – either they were encouraged to do a course by their employer, or they were told about a course by a colleague. Work-dependent participants were most likely to have been told about ITAs via this channel, although Curious learners also heard about the programme this way.

Less common means of hearing about the programme included through SDS careers advisors, via schools – i.e., young people looking for direction with their career – and via people's social networks (e.g., friends, family, neighbours).

There were incidences of people actively seeking out training opportunities and discovering the ITA programme through online research (e.g., via the My World of Work website). Curious learners were most likely to fall into this category.

"I'm sort of curious anyway but there's always stuff on the computer and I'm sitting and looking. There's a thing called The Skills Network that's where you can do college work. I've done some of them… and I was looking for something that would be interesting and most of it is just like… I don't know, I wouldn't want to do them personally. But the one that I picked was the Thai hand massage and it was really fascinating."

Female, Out of work

A few people also heard about the programme through a training provider whilst on a course, and they applied for ITA funding retrospectively. These people were primarily in the Work-dependent category; having agreed to enrol on a course for their job, they were introduced to the programme as a form of support.

"[I heard about it through] the people that were running the course for the CSCS card. I can't remember what they were called. I think it was Forth Valley…"

Male, Transport

Knowledge of ITAs

Almost all were aware of the basic principles of the programme – loan-free funding available to people that meet certain criteria (either unemployed or earning less than £22,000 per annum). The limitations on the funding (£200 limit) and the number of applications (one per year) were also well understood, with many sharing grievances about these aspects of the programme – see Programme Improvements section for further detail.

There were generally lower levels of awareness regarding the programme subject areas, and the perception that courses are strictly vocational (i.e., not academic) was relatively commonplace. Knowledge of this was tied to people's motivations and the taxonomy of participants. People that had a specific course in mind (Work-dependents, and Aspirants) or were recommended the course through the jobcentre were unlikely to know about the range of subject areas available. Those researching courses and training as a matter of personal interest or development (Curious learners) were more likely to be aware of this. Additionally, people with knowledge of ILAs were likely to know more about the range of subject areas – they were aware that the programme had moved from leisure courses to more certified, vocational courses.

"I was familiar with the original ILA scheme maybe about 10 or 15 years ago, maybe even more than that. When I was doing my Masters at college, it was mentioned as a kind of thing you could use for even leisure courses at the time. I have to say, I was a bit of a serial user of the ILAs. I did a lot of mini leisure courses. In more recent years when it became the ITA, I used it for vocational courses."

Female, Fitness, Health and Beauty

What motivated participants to apply?

Motivations for applying to the programme were varied. People were in a range of situations prior to enrolling on their course; alongside those employed and looking to move/progress/stay in their job role, some people had recently been made redundant, others were recovering from health (physical and mental) conditions, and others were entering the world of work following full-time education. This highlights the scope of the ITA programme and who it supports – all of whom require support with employability and upskilling. These situations often dictated people's motivations to apply and their expectations of the programme.

"It was the first time I have been unemployed since I left school, and I thought, you know what, I fancy retraining, but I haven't got any money because I'm unemployed and I thought hang on, maybe I could get a grant or something and get the course paid for because I kept seeing things online."

Female, Out of work

Positively, from a programme design perspective, people were most commonly motivated by a genuine desire to upskill and improve their job prospects. They regularly spoke of the desire to progress from minimum wage employment or to move from a temporary to permanent contract with their employer. These situations highlight a desire to move towards skilled employment, and concerns around being 'stuck' in low-wage, low-skilled work persist. Aspirants generally fell into this group, although so did Work-dependents who needed proof of skills to secure entry-level employment in their chosen field.

"I've always been working, but I've always been kind of like minimum wage. So, it's always been to try and upskill me and get away from that kind of minimum wage gap."

Male, Construction

As discussed in the taxonomy of participants section, another key motivation for people was needing a specific qualification to stay in work. These individuals were less interested in the goals of upskilling and self-development, and simply needed a refresher course to e.g., renew a license for their job.

Significant numbers were also attracted to the programme because it allowed them to undertake 'free' training, considering it low-risk compared to other forms of training. For this group, the availability of funding was a primary driver for them enrolling on a course; they would have been unlikely to do so without funding.

"[I looked at other courses] but some of them were maybe going to cost two grand and I thought, no, I would rather try something much cheaper and dip my toe in first before I committed the time and the money."

Female, Out of work

"It's great. It is government funded training, isn't it? You're getting a chance to improve your skills and it's not costing you anything. It's a no brainer really, isn't it?"

Male, Construction

Connected to this, an attitude of 'why not?' was held by a minority. These people took part in the programme with a more speculative mindset; without a firm objective for the outcome of their training, they viewed ITAs as an opportunity to be productive with their spare time, without an expectation of added career benefits.

"For me, it's just like to kind of take any help you can get. Especially if you want to change career or start something new. Like if there's something there available and you're eligible then yeah, go for it. Why not?"

Female, Out of work

"We were working four days on, four days off. I had a lot of spare time to be honest and I thought you know what? Why not learn something new? Why not try and get a wee qualification?"

Male, Social Care

In summary, motivations can be split into two broad categories – job-related and non-job related, both of which have more and less positive associations in terms of the ITA programme and its objectives (from an upskilling and employability perspective). Encouraging people motivated by job/career-related goals of upskilling and employability will be important for the future of the programme.

Experiences of applying to the programme

Views on the application process

The vast majority of programme participants applied to the programme through the My World of Work website via the conventional mechanism – obtaining funding through the website, approaching a training provider, being accepted onto/attending the next available course.

However, a minority went through a training provider first and obtained funding retrospectively, having secured a place on the course; and some people had experience of their employer or the jobcentre undertaking their application on their behalf. All these individuals in the latter group were asked to do was provide personal information (e.g., name, address, contact information) and proof of earnings.

"My college was really helpful. We just did it backwards and forwards between us. We were sending emails over the course of two hours, scanning things and they said 'do this, do that, they just sorted it out for me'."

Female, Out of work

"When the guy from Remploy told me to apply for the training, he told me what provider to look for straight away. I just [went] on to the ITA website, found the provider, and applied through it. That was it. It was easy that way."

Male, Construction

Positively, from a programme implementation perspective, the majority of people found the application process very easy – particularly those who were supported by their jobcentre coach or employer during the process. Indeed, there was evidence of at least one employer (in the Social Care sector) providing an instruction manual to support staff through their application process.

People desired simplicity and straightforwardness, and the programme application process delivered in this respect. They spoke positively about how streamlined the process was, and the length of time the overall application process took – a matter of days for most people.

Most people were in training quickly, too – particularly on popular courses used across multiple industries (e.g., Health and Safety Training, First Aid). While there was some concern about the lack of lead-in time between applying and the course starting (in terms of ensuring the funding was settled), this was not a problem for most people.

Despite these positive findings, a minority of people experienced issues with the programme application process, although none were widespread.

There was some evidence of people being put through unsuitable courses by jobcentres. Although this experience was helpful in some ways – improving job prospects, skills development – some felt their course was not appropriate for them (both in terms of helping them secure work at all, particularly in sectors they perceived to be oversubscribed, and in terms of being relevant to their sector of interest). This experience was reinforced by others who felt that jobcentres might 'push' people into training that they are not interested in to encourage them into work. In this respect, it will be important to reflect on how the programme might better connect people with a skills development opportunity that is aligned to their career goals.

"The jobcentre actually put me through the CSCS course, which is not really my area of expertise… they basically had me on the course for that, so I just did it just to kind of make them happy, so to speak."

Male, Construction

"I had my CSCS card, but they were trying to push me to do my SIA. It was just like as a kind of solution to… obviously, they just want you back out the system, so they just want to throw like an SIA at you to get you back out the system."

Male, Transport

"For me personally, I didn't have any ITAs offered or suggested to me, but I do feel that there's a general vibe that perhaps it's really just being pushed at certain people in order to tick the correct boxes."

Female, Out of work (at time of application)

As well as this main point of feedback, a minority had issues collecting ID forms, or proving their earnings, as well as arranging the funding. This was either a result of employers failing to provide payslips in a timely fashion, or training providers being uncooperative in terms of accepting the funding – suggesting these were not issues with the programme application mechanism itself. However, one individual was asked to provide proof of their ID, address and earnings separately, which led to some frustration.

"I think there was four different forms I had to fill in. They came through one at time. You do one and then they come through and say, there's another form you got to fill in. Then there's another form you got to fill in. And then there was a zero income form I had to fill in as well."

Male, Transport

There were also some unique situations that presented challenges for people. One person, whose course ran over one year, was unsure about whether they could apply for two ITAs in consecutive years for the same course; and a few said that training providers were unaware that the course they offered was eligible for ITA funding.

"I would say from my experience, when I went to the college and asked, they didn't really know what it was, and they weren't really sure. Maybe it was my college, but they didn't understand what it was."

Male, Transport

Additionally, the minority of people who applied to the course before applying for ITA funding encountered some issues with sequencing the funding with the start of the course, suggesting the application process could be better explained to some. This often reflected people's introduction to the course – they become aware of it through their provider, who were not clear about the process.

"What I have always done is I've applied for the course with the college, then I have to wait and see if I'm accepted onto the course, then I have applied for the ITA and by that time I have already had an email from the college asking me to pay for the course…then I'm waiting for my ITA to come through."

Female, In work

In the main, then, the application process works well, but there are minor issues which stem mainly from organisations involved in the programme implementation process. These issues include jobcentres that may recommend unsuitable courses to unemployed people and training providers that may lack knowledge of the programme. As such, educating these organisations on their role as part of the programme implementation 'network' – i.e., training providers, jobcentres, employers – will be important for ensuring the future success of the programme.

Choosing a course – other courses considered, topping-up, and taking courses without an ITA

As discussed at the outset of the report, in reality, many did not 'choose' their ITA course, rather they needed it for their job, were instructed to apply for it by their employer/the jobcentre, or were limited by what course they could choose (in their area of interest). However, those who did choose their course considered factors such as personal interest, job prospects as a result, proximity of the training provider to their home and the overall cost of the course – often, the cost of the course was the overriding factor.

"I had kind of five or six courses that I was looking at doing. Then I was like, I narrowed… two of them were really expensive, two of them I could have topped it up. Then there was like one or two that obviously that was quite easy to get through the ITA. I obviously ended up going through the ITA, because it was just easier. But there was still like more that I would have liked to have done if it had been available. There was obviously really trade specific courses. There was like carpet fitting courses and stuff that I would have liked to have gone on. All the kind of courses I looked at were about £500-£600. In that region that would have really helped me, obviously. But I kind of had to go for just common courses that are less niche for people."

Male, Construction

For some, the breadth of courses available was too limited in some industries. Participants wanted courses for people looking to go into the trades (electrician/bricklaying courses etc.), others wanted more science-related courses to complement academic qualifications they were expecting to move onto, and others would have liked more non-vocational, leisure courses to be reintroduced to the programme (as had been the case during the time of ILA funding). This, however, might reflect the lack of awareness some people have of the courses available to them (and the ability to top up their course) – particularly if they had been instructed to do a course by the jobcentre or their employer. This again points to greater education of organisations involved in the wider programme awareness/implementation process.

Some people discussed the role of supply and demand within the wider labour market and what this might mean in terms of the cost/availability of ITA training. They felt it was important to make sure that the availability of training reflected the needs of different industries – ensuring that the programme is reactive to the needs of the wider economy. There was a perception that some common, general courses are not necessarily needed in the current market – and that these are promoted to the detriment of more advanced, sector-specific courses.

"[I would like to see] courses like plumbing, bricklaying, sparkies – that kind of stuff. Areas where they actually need people, rather than areas where they've got that many of them that they're just that cheap because of that reason."

Male, Construction

While most participants did not consider another course at the time of their application for the reasons explored above, Curious learners were more likely to have undertaken research to ensure they were doing a course that would suit them. They did this primarily through online searches, either specifically on the My World of Work website, or elsewhere. Additionally, many younger people were considering university courses and full-time vocational courses – for this group, the ITA-funded course was used as a steppingstone, or to complement these studies (which they were intending to do in future).

Without ITA funding, most people would not have done their course. This likely reflects who is eligible for ITAs – low-income and unemployed people. However, a significant minority said they would have paid for the course anyway, particularly Work-dependents who had a guaranteed use and application of their ITA-funded training. For these individuals, taking the training would be low-risk, even if they had paid for it. Some Aspirants were also willing to pay for training (up to the funding threshold of £200). This gives some indication that although the programme is targeting the right people from a job retention/progression perspective, it may be able to support even more people unable to afford training (if those willing to pay for a course would do so in future).

"I was prepared to pay the £200 because this was the course that I wanted."

Female, Construction

"I would probably have done it mate [without ITA funding]. It got me extra money, know what I mean. It's beneficial… I would probably have done it myself anyway."

Male, Transport

While most did not top up their ITA funding, the minority that did tended to do so by a small amount; only a couple of people topped up by significantly more. As well as the overall desire to upskill, decision-making around topping up was dependent on whether the course was needed for people's job (Work-dependents) and how interested they were in the course (Curious learners). There was, however, little evidence of employers offering to top up courses, although some participants were providing a case to their employer, persuading them to do so.

Despite only a minority of people either topping up their course or saying that would have paid for their course regardless of ITA funding, there was some support for participants contributing at least a small amount to all courses on the programme. This, some participants felt, would encourage greater engagement with and commitment to the course/learning.

"I signed up for this other [non-ITA] course which was free, and it had really tight deadlines on the assessment, and I actually realised that it was too much for me. And I withdrew from it. Now would I have withdrawn so easily if I had paid some money towards it? I don't know. So maybe it's that there needs to be some sort of personal investment in it to commit [to it]."

Female, Social Care

Experiences of the training

As with the programme application process, most people were very positive about the experience of their course. People from all groups – Work-dependents, Aspirants and Curious learners – were positive about many aspects of their course, from the role of course tutor/convener and the quality of the lessons/materials provided, to the professional feel of their course and the timeliness of the certification of the course. People were also positive about the progression routes available in some subject areas, including Fitness, Health and Beauty.

"My last experience in education was almost five decades ago, so to come back in and be able to tackle Nat 5 level maths…because when I was in high school, I left high school without any maths at all…loved the subject…which is why I revisited it now. I was absolutely terrible at it at high school. To have spent almost a year in evening class doing Nat 5, it was just such an unbelievable experience compared to my last experience in education back in high school in those days."

Male, Out of work

"We had a lot of support from the lecturers, and they organised support sessions, emails and things like that with the recognition that it was an evening class, and we didn't really have time during the week."

Female, In work

"There was a lot of progression routes as well. Like I say, it was SVQ level 5, so pretty decent. But when we were there, the lecturer would also talk about the different progression routes, and I know that at least one person in the course had signed up for the next slots."

Female, Fitness, Health and Beauty

The relevance of the course was a key influence on people's experiences. Despite the possibility of greater expectations (in terms of course quality and career benefits), those who felt the course was relevant to their immediate or future career goals generally had a better experience than people who did not feel connected to their course from an interest or career perspective. This latter group consisted mainly of people who had been instructed to do their course by the jobcentre.

Additionally, although some general courses that cut across sectors (e.g., first aid, food hygiene, health & safety) were perceived negatively from a direct-impact-on-career perspective, they were felt to be broadly positive for people's working lives insofar as they are useful for many frontline service sector jobs.

"I've worked at a hospital as well, so a lot of it was what every person working in a hospital needs to do. Entry-level stuff like hygiene and contamination and things like that. It's a very basic knowledge that every single person no matter what they do in a hospital would have to do that course."

Male, Social Care

"I'm not saying I was clever, but I passed it. It was just a refresher, but it was enjoyable. It brings back a lot of things that you forget."

Male, Transport

"There's definitely parts of it [the course] that you would use in your everyday life now, especially since Covid come along. So especially like the hygiene things and contamination and so on. That's something that you would use forever, and some people need to learn that. It's something that they really could use, that skill."

Male, Social Care

Despite these positive findings, a significant minority highlighted various drawbacks of their course. The most common issue people raised was around the length of the course – some people felt the course was rushed; others felt it could have been shorter. This affected people in specific industries (e.g., people trained in a practical role who would have benefited from more in-depth one-to-one training) and those on refresher courses, chiefly.

"[The course was] just rushed. Like it was just… You're learning a skill, you know, you're dealing with people's eyes... And it was like, 'that's you qualified now. You can go out to the world, and you can do it.' And people were asking about what we can charge people. And the trainer said… yeah. And I just thought, that's crazy. Like I said, I came home, and I was able to obviously practice on friends and family. I did that for ages. And I watched loads of videos. And had to learn things from that."

Female, Out of Work

"Yeah, the training was a little bit long winded, but it covered everything… It's all health and safety, common sense, that sort of stuff. You can use… When you can use 20 words instead of one, that's what she [the course convener] did. It could have been a lot shorter. It didn't need to be a whole day. Could have been done in like three or four hours at the most."

Male, Transport

Relatedly, a few people were less positive about the way their course was delivered – some felt their course would have benefited from a practical face-to-face element (e.g., Forklift training, massage), and while face-to-face learning was generally considered better from a learning perspective, people felt that elements of their course could be delivered online. Although course delivery was affected by Covid-19 to some extent, a review of ITA-eligible courses should be considered to ensure all are delivered in a way that reflects course content/goals.

"The leadership one, I think it was 8 weeks as well. It was online and I find that a bit more difficult because you basically have to self-motivate to go and learn. It wasn't the best quality of online learning. The structure was a bit complicated and the way it was written sometimes, it was a bit hard to figure out on your own. I think you'd have to have maybe somebody all presentations or something explaining first. It was just all written and that was really hard to firstly, motivate yourself to go and look at, and secondly to understand and complete the course."

Female, In work

There were also a few instances of people being unable to evidence previous knowledge/competency; this affected their experience, as typically meant they had to cover old ground. It is worth noting for future iterations of the programme the importance of keeping a record previous study, or a central location for all education certificates that an applicant might hold.

"Mine was just a refresher as well but so… But I didn't have proof of my previous certificate, so they had to do the theory part and all that again. It's a pain in the arse a wee bit."

Male, Transport

For most people, though, their course delivered value for money. This was linked to three main factors, 1) whether they enjoyed the course, 2) whether they felt it was good-quality, and 3) if they had used the skills they've gained on the course in their work. Even those repeating a course felt it had been value for money, highlighting the far-reaching benefits of the course.

"It broadens your horizons. It gives you more scope for jobs you can apply for and stuff like that. Because you're qualified as opposed to not being qualified."

Male, Transport

"I would say it probably is [value for money]. If you put it down to what I am paying per hour, that is quite a lot but you kind of getting some pseudo-counselling in it because you're doing lessons to each other. You also have to keep your own journal, which nobody reads. It's for your benefit. As well as learning all the background of counselling and techniques and things like that, you're learning about yourself as well."

Female, Social Care

Evidencing the quality of the experience, most people said they would apply for a course again. Many of the reasons for doing so have been discussed already, with lifelong learning, future job intentions and the ability to increase salary being primary drivers. The Curious learners and Aspirants were most likely to fall into this group.

Outcomes from the programme

The outcomes of the programme were generally more mixed – some had experienced very profound changes in their career, others were still out of work or had not used the skills they had gained on their programme – but most people were able to point to at least some positive outcomes.

"My course was really well delivered and included in our course was a sort of starter kit so you could go out and start working on clients straight away. I had enough in my starter kit to do practice on close friends and family… I think I spent another £150 on a bed. I was doing mobile because of the pandemic. By the time I had bought all my other equipment and then paid for my beauty guild membership so that I was fully insured, I maybe spent another £200 on top of that, and I was good to go out and start offering my services to clients."

Female, Social Care

"They've [ITAs] not helped me get a better job, but they've helped me to always stay employed."

Male, Social Care

"The job I was supposed to be getting [at the end of my ITA], got filled. Just applying for other jobs now. See if anything turns up, know what I mean. I'm going through my CSCS card. The course is tomorrow."

Male, Transport

People who were positive about the outcomes of the programme pointed to a range of things, from remaining in their job and increasing their salary, to providing 'direction' in their life and increasing confidence/self-esteem. The range of things mentioned highlights the far-reaching benefits of the programme. As we saw with programme motivations, this often reflects the situation people are in prior to enrolling on the course; some people find themselves at a low point in their lives (following redundancy, health issues), but the programme equipped them with new skills, helping them feel more employable and able to overcome challenges.

"You can go and do that course for three days and you'll get a four pound extra an hour. You're like that, wow."

Male, Construction

"I think it's [ITA] a game changer. I'm looking forward to doing my next course now. It had woken something up in my brain and being given that bit of money at the right time, it's just given me a bit of confidence."

Female, In work

"Before I did the ITA funded training, a lot of my friends had just graduated uni and I thought it was too late for me etc. and then when I went into the higher English [ITA] class, the group that I sat with were all minimum late thirties, most of them were early forties and I think had I not had that ITA, I would not have realised that I am actually one of the younger students at college, there are plenty of people 20 or 30 years older than me who do not think they are too old."

Female, In work

There was also a general appreciation that even if the course was not used for immediate or long-term career related goals, it would provide a safety net for people if they were to lose their current job. Indeed, there is evidence that some people in precarious work situations use ITAs qualifications as a 'backup' – they feel they need skills in multiple sectors/areas to withstand the pressures of a volatile job market.

"Well, the [reason for doing the ITA course] was keeping my taxi license. And to do that I had to do this course. But now I've got a job in a factory, so I don't need to worry about taking it next year. I shall keep it [taxi-driving qualification obtained through ITA funding] as a standby."

Male, Transport

"But if anything should arise in my current job, I've got that under my belt. Do you know what I mean?"

Female, Construction

Many, however, conceded that their course was not necessarily going to 'open doors', and that the ITA programme was much better suited in terms of upskilling people looking to progress in their careers than starting 'from scratch' in a new career. In this sense, people felt the programme might help build momentum, or 'boost' a career, but that its limitations lie in helping people transform their career. This, they felt, could be solved by offering people multiple courses each year or allowing people to apply for funding for more advanced courses.

"Maybe there is a small course here that £200 will make the change for them, but for me and for others, to be honest, it doesn't make the change. My message to the government: do you prefer that people stay on Universal Credit for two years, or just increase the amount [of funding] to £500, where it really make the change and people say, bye bye, Universal Credit. It's just only a little bit, and guess what, many of us don't have extra cash. If we get more help, it will be really fantastic and it will make the desired change, but that's me."

Male, Out of work

"Not to talk for too long, but basically, I could not get enough clients because I did not have a big enough menu of services to offer. So, I ended up going back to university, a student nurse."

Female, Out of work

Regarding multiple uses of ITAs, there were three types of repeat user:

• People doing refreshers of same course (almost exclusively Work-dependents);
• People doing related courses (e.g., different types of massage that they could use in their career – widening their skills base) (typically Aspirants);
• People doing unrelated courses (typically Curious learners).

Virtually all these people were in favour of doing more than one course per year. Some felt you should be able to 'fast-track', meaning if you saw a job advert that required further training, you would be able to apply for additional ITA funding with a view to securing work. Evidencing future use was felt to be important in terms of justifying multiple ITAs each year.

There was, however, overall preference for the ability to rollover funding over multiple years – to save up to afford a more expensive course – rather than doing multiple courses each year. It was felt that this would have more of substantive impact on people's long-term careers, and while the perception from some was that some sectors (e.g., Construction) require multiple low-cost training certificates (e.g., forklift, rough terrain forklift, fire marshal, reach course, CSCS, scaffolding) other sectors (Fitness, Health and Beauty & Social Care) require more advanced training. Future work on the ITA programme might approach this question from a sector-specific angle, looking at what qualifications requirements are by sector and adapting ITA funding as appropriate.

Impact of Covid-19

Around half of programme participants had taken their course during Covid-19 in 2020-21. The impact of Covid-19 was relatively limited, as many courses were run online and did not need a face-to-face element. For many, the preference was for face-to-face courses, but they were unfazed by courses needing to be run online.

"Preferably it would have been face to face but with Covid, that wasn't an option. Next best option would have been to do it live but again the way my sessions fell, I couldn't really ask for time off."

Male, In Work

However, the impact of Covid-19 was felt by a minority, as some courses were delayed, cancelled, or the number of classes/students in each class was much-reduced. This impacted when people were able to complete the programme, and hence able to secure work.

"We were delayed a couple of times due to Covid and that."

Male, Out of Work

"As I said, Covid put me off one of the times. I could have had mine [Forklift certificate] in December, and I didn't get it until February. Because… If you add it up, every course, [I lost] three months… Because it was December to February. If you add that up it affected me… At least £100 pound a week nearly."

Male, Transport

Additionally, Covid-19 impacted people's career plans outside of the course, with many having started work just before the pandemic, or were made redundant during the pandemic or were put on furlough. This impacted their decision on when to take their course.

Programme improvements

Many programme improvements have been covered elsewhere in this report, including:

• Understanding and tackling the perception (and experience) of people being 'pushed' into training opportunities that might not fit their career goals, interests or skills.
• Ensuring all programme participants are connected to a training opportunity that will make a genuine difference to their career (based on where they are at in their life, what skills they have, and where they want to be in the future).
• Ensuring that more people fall into the Aspirants category – i.e., they plan to use the skills they gain on their course for more significant career goals (upskilling, career progression, employability reasons), rather than to simply retain work (Work-dependents) or because of a general interest in a subject area (Curious learners).
• Educating other organisations involved in the implementation of the programme (jobcentres, training providers) to ensure they are aware of best practice in relation to the programme application process.

In addition, some other specific programme improvements were raised during the course of the groups. Most commonly, people felt that the programme could be better promoted; the perception was that awareness of the programme was low among members of the public, and more could be done to publicise opportunities available and hence improve the calibre of applicants.

"Maybe [ITAs should] be publicised a bit more widely. I'm not really a social media person so maybe it is advertised widely, and I just don't see it, but I sort of stumbled across it and was a bit annoyed because I thought, 'oh no, I could have been doing these in the background even while I was working full-time if I had known'."

Female, In work

Others felt that wrap-around support for people (in terms of careers advice, employment opportunities post-qualification) would be beneficial, although it is worth noting that this sort of support is available elsewhere (e.g., the SDS Careers Services), and a greater understanding of the capacity in which the ITA programme could provide this is needed. However, if people's introduction to careers and skills is through ITAs, perhaps more signposting of careers advice could be made available.

"I would like to see more of a link between the jobcentre, ITA, Business Gateway, to have more comprehensive support. I think there are so many people in jobs they are unhappy with."

Female, Fitness, Health and Beauty

A minority also felt that the threshold for programme eligibility could be lifted, with no wage restrictions on eligibility to take part.

"That tight.... I reckon it's something that should be open to everyone more or less. Why should it be that only people who are not making a certain amount should get it? If it's only an amount of £200, that should be available to anyone as long as it's set on a proper course that justified doing that."

Male, Social Care