Evaluation of the Fair Cities Pilots 2006

Second Interim Report

Orchestrated by the National Employment Panel, the Fair Cities Pilots were employer-led initiatives designed to improve job entry and progression for ethnic minorities in Brent, Birmingham and Bradford.

By September 2006 the Pilots had been operational for over a year, and had moved on from a difficult capacity-building phase into their delivery phase. This interim report sets out the results from the first nine months of the delivery phase. Drawing on findings from face-to-face interviews and Fair Cities management information, it assesses the:

• Pilots as a means of delivering labour market interventions in disadvantaged communities
• immediate and ongoing impact of the Pilots on the beneficiaries
• impact of the Pilots on participating employers, and on the employer community
• effect of the Pilots on the local employment, training and community support infrastructure.

The report draws together key findings and sets out recommendations.