Trust for London, the Walcot Foundation and Learning and Work Institute collaborated to design a pilot initiative, Step Up, trialling new approaches to help low-paid workers progress in their careers and move into better work. L&W were commissioned to evaluate the pilot and to draw lessons for commissioning and delivering in-work progression support in the future.

The final report builds on the year two evaluation and provides further analysis of monitoring information, an impact assessment and cost benefit analysis, as well as longitudinal research with Step Up participants to assess the pilot’s performance across its lifetime.

It is accompanied by a report on job brokerage in in-work support initiatives and a guide for commissioners that draws on lessons from the delivery and evaluation of Step Up over the three years of the initiative.

The Step Up Pilot: Year 3 Extension reports and resources

The Step Up Pilot: The Full Report

Year 3 Extension Report

Job Brokerage in In-Work Progression Programmes

Learning from the Step Up pilot

In-Work Progression

Guidance for commissioners

Supporting resources

The Step Up Projects

Step Up Years 1 & 2

22 Medi 2026

Building an AI-ready workforce: Creating a skills system that prepares UK knowledge workers for the AI transition

AI has transformative potential for the UK economy and could present a net uplift to productivity of up to £80 billion by 2035. Yet the UK workforce does not – yet – have the skills to successfully adopt and scale AI technologies in a truly transformative way.

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22 Medi 2026

AI skills investment could add £80 billion to the UK economy

The UK can secure an £80 billion boost to its economy by 2035 if the Government and businesses act together to strengthen the technical skills system, according to a major report published today by L&W and The Rigby Foundation.

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15 Medi 2026

Labour market dashboard

Every month, Learning and Work Institute produces detailed and timely analysis of the latest labour market statistics from ONS. Explore our interactive charts.

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7 Medi 2026

UK must make training the ‘go-to’ response to skills needs, or risk holding back growth, new report warns

The Government’s plans to get the economy growing risk falling short unless it takes action to reverse sharp falls in the training employees get at work, new analysis warns.

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7 Medi 2026

Understanding employer investment in skills

This is the third and final report of our project funded by the Nuffield Foundation looking at employer investment in skills, and how employees are responding to the need to upskill and retrain in a transitioning economy.

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29 Mehefin 2026

What enables the effective design, delivery and evaluation of local work and health programmes?

This report presents findings from an evidence review on what enables the effective design, delivery and evaluation of local health and work programmes.

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29 Mehefin 2026

Scoping report: Labour Market Evidence Programme

This scoping report as part of the Labour Market Evidence programme provides a summary of the work undertaken by IES and L&W between October 2025 and March 2026 including user consultation. It summarises the evidence needs of local policy makers and sets out how these needs can be addressed.

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9 Mehefin 2026

Final report: Evaluation of the JobsPlus Pilot

This evaluation of JobsPlus builds on the interim findings published in September 2025 to provide evidence on whether the model can be adapted to the UK context and effectively implemented to improve employment outcomes.  

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1 Ebrill 2026

Supporting the progression of low-income workers in Scotland

With funding from the Robertson Trust, Learning and Work Institute has been working in partnership with Edinburgh College to develop a pilot to support low-income workers in Scotland to progress into better jobs.

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