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

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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18 Awst 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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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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1 Ebrill 2026

Final report: Supporting the progression of low-income workers in Scotland

This report shares findings from the second phase of our programme of work funded by the Robertson Trust and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College. It sets out a proposed model for a new, evidence-led, in-work progression programme in Edinburgh.

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13 Mawrth 2026

UK’s training and skills ‘tick-box culture’ puts at risk job mobility and future growth, new report warns

New analysis has identified an overreliance on mandatory and compliance training in UK workplaces compared to other countries – at the expense of more in-depth upskilling required for the jobs of the future.

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