Editorial Comment:

Focus of study

Guidance services were provided through the Learning Gateway to help unemployed adults find suitable education and training as a step towards gaining work. During the year following guidance the experiences of over 800 Gateway clients were compared with those of an equivalent number of similar people who did not use the Gateway. Data was gathered first by interviewing research participants and at a later date by postal survey.

Key findings

Three-quarters of Gateway clients thought it was helpful and many reported an increased interest in education or training as a result. About half claimed to have gained in awareness of opportunities, and/or about themselves, and/or have been helped in their planning and/or have been given ideas about how to go about further search.

About a third of respondents reported having applied for education, training or a job as a result of guidance. 22% attributed their entry into education or training to the guidance they had been given about it. 30% reported entering something they had discussed in guidance and as a result of that guidance.

By the time of the second follow-up 5% fewer of the Gateway sample were unemployed than the comparison group, and participation in some form of education and training by the Gateway group was nearly double that of the comparison group. The Gateways may not significantly increase the probability of entry into work but are significantly associated with entry to education and training. Participants in the Gateway may have been attracted to it because they were already more open to education and training.

Additional comments

The author draws attention to different interpretations of data, to the potential flaws in design and the unreliable nature of retrospective perceptions of the effects of guidance.