Work Programme Evaluation: the participant experience report

This report brings together and summarises the main evidence from the different strands of the Work Programme evaluation about the experience of participants.

The evaluation tracks the Work Programme over several years from its introduction in 2011. This report notes changes in participants’ experiences and perceptions of the programme during this period.

These reflect changes in how the programme was operating as it bedded down over time and changes in the economic climate in which the programme was operating. However, the later data in the report are more likely to represent a picture of the programme as it settled down into a steady state of operation.

DWP aimed to use the results from this report in the continuous improvement of the Work Programme and the design of any future contracts. The preface notes at the start of the report give an update of DWP’s response to the research findings.