What is the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer?
The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer helps young people aged 18–21 across the West of England to find work, training and apprenticeships. It can also support 16–17 year olds who are not currently getting help from education, training or employment services.
This programme is part of the wider government Get Britain Working Strategy, and aims to ensure every young person has access to education, training, or support to move into employment.
Why is there research?
We are doing research about the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer in the West of England on behalf of the West of England Combined Authority.
We want to understand:
- What helps young people the most
- How different projects support young people into education, training, and work
- What can make things easier or harder for young people
- How support for young people can be improved in the future
The research is being carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), an independent research organisation. We will do this by collecting information in different ways, including:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Looking at information already collected by programmes
We would also like to see whether things change for young people over time. Because of this, we may contact you again in 2027.
We will ask you about:
- How you took part in the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer
- What it was like joining the programme
- Your experiences of the support you received, such as coaching, courses, work tasters or placements, travel support, bursaries or employer activities
- What has gone well, what has been difficult, and what has changed for you so far
What will I do if I take part in the research?
You may choose to take part in any or all of the following that we will be in touch with:
- A short online survey
- A short online interview
- Follow-up activities later in 2027
Taking part in any additional activities is your choice.
What information will be collected about me?
The research team needs to collect some information about you to help them understand if the programme works well for everyone:
- Your Personal Details: We collect your name and email so we can link your answers from the surveys you do at the start, middle, and end.
- Information about the support you receive: We also get information from your programme provider about things like your gender, ethnicity, type of support received and how you have progressed; so that our researchers can analyse whether the programme works well for people with different characteristics.
- The answers you give in surveys and interviews
- Follow on survey and interview answers you may take part in 2027
Will my information be kept safe?
Yes, your information will be kept safe and private. All the data we collect is kept in a secure, access-controlled destination.
As soon as possible, the researchers will remove identifiable details from the data. Instead of your name, you will be given a unique code. This process is called pseudonymisation. This code allows researchers to track your answers across the different surveys without knowing your identity.
The findings will be written up in reports that will not contain any personally identifiable information. No reports will include your name or anything that could identify you. The data will only be used for this research and will not be used in ways that affect your education or future jobs. If you decide to withdraw from the research, this is possible up to 2 weeks after the data has been collected. We will explain whether any of your information can still be removed, depending on how it has already been processed.
We follow data protection laws to make sure your information is handled safely and responsibly. You can read more about how your data will be looked after here – https://www.skillsconnect.org.uk/participant-privacy-notice-youth-guarantee-trailblazer/
Do I have to take part?
No, taking part is completely your choice.
- You do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer.
- You can stop taking part at any time.
- Choosing not to take part will not affect any support, services, education, training, or opportunities available to you.
- You can decide whether or not to take part in future interviews, group discussions, or surveys.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes, if you take part in an interview, you can have a trusted person with you if that would make you feel more comfortable. This could be a parent, guardian, support worker, youth worker, advocate, or another adult you trust.
Can my parent or guardian find out more?
We do not usually have the contact details of parents or guardians, so we cannot contact them directly. If you would like them to know more about the research, we encourage you to share this information sheet with them.
Can I change my mind (withdraw)?
Yes.
You can change your mind about taking part at any point.
If you decide that you no longer want your information to be used in the research, please contact the research team within two weeks using the details below. You can do this up to two weeks after the information has been collected.
We will remove any information that can still be identified as yours. However, once your survey responses or interview notes have been anonymised and combined with information from other participants, it may no longer be possible to identify and remove your individual data.
If you would like to withdraw from the research or have your information removed, please contact:
Joy Williams at [email protected]
If you have any further questions, you may contact Elizabeth Lyons at the West of England Combined Authority at [email protected]