Case Study: Evaluation focus groups

About the client

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is a national body focused on careers education in the UK. They aim to ensure young people have access to meaningful workplace experiences to prepare them for future employment and meet Gatsby Benchmark 6 standards.

The brief

CEC sought research insights to contributed to the evaluation of its "Experience of the Workplace” fund. Objectives included assessing stakeholder perceptions, overcoming barriers to workplace delivery, and developing an outcomes framework to improve career experiences for young people.

Our approach

We conducted 12 online focus groups, engaging both Careers Leaders and Employers to understand their perspectives and experience of delivering new models of work experience. The sessions captured diverse views on current work experience models, the impact of the new initiatives, and how they compare to traditional approaches. The emphasis was on identifying successes, challenges, and actionable improvements to align school and employer goals.

The end result

Our findings revealed several positive aspects to the initiatives and how they successfully engaged a wider range of students and employers. The report also identified some challenges which still need to be overcome. The insights informed recommendations for enhancing the outcomes framework, ensuring better alignment between schools and employers, and addressing ongoing issues.

“This work gave us important insights into a developing area of focus for CEC.”