Youth Service evaluation rather too glowing

The Youth Service Evaluation report is now on-line

The evaluation compares a group who received benefits before the Youth Service was introduced to a group post.

Youth Service is helping young people gain NCEA Level 2, so they have a better chance at getting a decent job

During their first year [my emphasis] in Youth Service, young people are more likely to gain NCEA credits and meet the requirements of NCEA Level 2 than under the old welfare system:

• 63 per cent of 16 and 17 year olds receiving YP achieved NCEA credits in their first year, compared to 24 per cent of similar young people who received the old Independent Youth Benefit (IYB).
• 14 per cent of Youth Payment participants met the requirements for NCEA Level 2, compared to 5 per cent of the young people who received IYB.
• 43 per cent of teen parents achieved NCEA credits in their first year, compared to 20 per cent of similar teen parents who received Emergency Maintenance Allowance (EMA) or the Domestic Purposes Benefit (DPB).
• 7 per cent of Young Parent Payment participants met the requirements for NCEA Level 2, compared to 5 per cent of the comparison group.

But guess what? Unless you read the report you will not find out:

 However, 12 months after enrolment in the Youth Service, YP and YPP participants remained less likely to have met the requirements of NCEA Level 2 than young people in the comparison group

At the point of entry to Youth Service, YP and YPP participants were less likely to have met the requirements of an NCEA Level 2 qualification than their comparison group. There are two reasons for this:

·           the comparison group was selected without consideration of prior educational achievement, as NZQA qualifications data was not available at the time of the matching process;

·           Youth Service targets young people who have lower levels of educational achievement.   

The gains made by YP and YPP participants toward NCEA Level 2 as a result of Youth Service have not been large enough to compensate for this difference (Figure 8). After one year in the service, YP and YPP participants remain less likely to have met the requirements of NCEA Level 2 than their comparison group.

A more robust estimate that controls for differences in prior educational achievement will be developed for the 2015 evaluation update.

I would have thought that a majority (certainly not all)  of young people entering the benefit system at 16-17 would have  "lower levels of educational achievement".

Back to the report.

More young people aged 16 and 17 are moving off benefit as a result of Youth Service

Young people are now gaining the education, qualifications and skills needed to move off benefit and into employment or full-time tertiary study.

• After one year in the service fewer 16 and 17 years olds receiving Youth Payment remain on benefit, compared to similar young people who received IYB under the old welfare system.
• We expect to see the same trend for teen parents as their children become closer to school age and they have increased ability to move into full-time work or study.

You can view the relevant tables on pages 15 and 16.

The differences are very small. In the Youth Payment group the leaving benefit rate was slightly higher; in the Young Parenting Payment the reverse is seen. The leaving rate is lower.

The real concern I have is that after they leave the Youth Service young parents have around two to three years on the sole parent benefit. Does the pressure continue to stay with education, ie move on to tertiary training?

I want the Youth Service to succeed. Very much. But evaluations should be fairly represented. The Better Public Service goals do seem to be driving a tendency to report only the gains.