What works in early intervention: Emerging learning from Building Futures

Young people’s journeys into work are shaped long before they reach the labour market. This blog shares emerging learning from Building Futures, our flagship early intervention programme supporting young people at risk of missing out on further education, training or future employment. It also highlights new findings from two rapid evidence assessments (REAs) which strengthen our understanding of early risk factors and how the design of mentoring interventions influences their impact. 

For many young people, the path to work is lined with barriers. Even before leaving school, factors such as poor attendance, exclusion, and low attainment can make it more likely they will later become not in education, employment or training (NEET). 

Being out of work and education early can leave a lasting mark, with far-reaching consequences for wellbeing, health and income. This is why it is essential to understand what works to identify young people and prevent disengagement before they reach the jobs market. 

Our pioneering Building Futures programme was established to bolster the evidence base on NEET prevention through the development, delivery and evaluation of a mentoring intervention for secondary school students. By placing trusted adult relationships and young people’s needs at its core, the programme aims to address underlying challenges by strengthening and combining education, skills development, wellbeing and enrichment opportunities. 

Findings from our REA on mentoring suggest that it can support positive employment outcomes, particularly when delivered as part of a wider package of support. Importantly, the evidence also points to improvements in wellbeing, mental health, behaviour, attendance, and commitment to education as key drivers of long-term success.  

Mentoring for secondary-age young people 

The first REA looks at the impact of mentoring for young people of secondary school age. We focused on this group to ensure relevance to Building Futures.  

Mentoring delivered in school settings differs from mentoring for young people over 16. Sessions tend to happen more frequently, and to continue for longer – often for a whole academic year or more. The dynamics of the relationship may also differ when the mentee is still in school, and the mentor is an adult.  

There is no single, agreed definition of mentoring, but most mentoring programmes share common features. The relationship between the mentor and the young person is crucial; it must be grounded in trust, while remaining separate from the young person’s family and other close personal ties. Mentoring generally aims to support aspects of young people’s social and personal development, promoting positive behaviours and reducing the likelihood of negative ones.  

The challenges of tracking young people from their mid-teens to their entry into the labour market mean that only limited evidence has been gathered on the impact of mentoring in secondary school on employment outcomes. However, mentoring has positive effects on factors that can contribute to good prospects for learning and work. 

The strongest evidence from the REA highlights effects on different aspects of mental health and wellbeing, such as emotional wellbeing, stress management, and self-confidence.  

Some programmes show improved academic attainment for at least some cohorts. Mentoring can also strengthen commitment to continued or further education, as well as improve engagement with current schooling, behaviour, and school attendance.  

Often mentoring is most effective for specific sub-groups of young people, including those who experience risk factors for becoming NEET. Across a whole cohort, overall, impact can be small – but can be significant for those who miss out on opportunities.  

The REA reinforces the importance of programme design maximise impact. Effective mentoring programmes are tailored to the target group and their specific context, feature good engagement from different stakeholders, and benefit from effective coordination and administration. 

This includes the selection of mentors, their training and ongoing support through the programme life cycle, and how they are matched with young people. Clear goals are needed, but so too is time for young people to get to know their mentor and build a trusting relationship. The end of a mentoring programme is especially important; outcomes tend to be stronger when it is marked formally, with opportunities for reflection and celebration.  

Early risk factors linked to becoming NEET 

The second REA examines the relationship between becoming NEET, and some of the educational behaviours and aspects of social and personal development that mentoring can help to address. It identifies twelve factors that emerge during compulsory education which are associated with a higher risk of NEET status on leaving school.   

It is well established that young people who get poor grades in school-leaving exams are more likely to face challenges in getting a job or continuing to study. Young people who feel negatively about education, or who lack engagement with the idea of future learning and training, are also more likely to become NEET. This includes those with high levels of ‘unauthorised’ school absence. 

The report also highlights various social factors, such as some family and personal characteristics – including experiencing bullying – or material and financial poverty, suggesting one-to-one support could positively impact young people facing these challenges.  

Trusted adults: The missing link in youth employment policy? 

Together, these findings point to a pivotal role for trusted adult relationships, adding  

to a growing evidence base that suggests they can be a gateway to better youth employment outcomes. They also underline the importance of directing mentoring interventions towards marginalised young people who are likely to benefit most and who face greater exposure to NEET risk.  

Our recent report, The Missing Link, identifies trusted adults as a vital element of the systems-change response required to truly tackle the NEET challenge. Yet the role they play has received significantly less attention than other areas of youth employment policy, like apprenticeships, transitions out of education, or employment support. 

Building Futures is deepening our understanding of how trusted adults can open doors to opportunity, especially those facing the greatest barriers. We must continue to explore how targeted mentoring and early-intervention approaches like Building Futures – grounded in relationships, informed by the evidence, and focused on systemic change – can deliver lasting impact.