"Youth Employment Initiative" Programme 2015

STUDY

Evaluation of the impact of the European

"Youth Employment Initiative" programme 2015

April 2016

Summary of the national evaluation report of the YEI

This document is a synopsis of the national evaluation report of the Youth Employment Initiative in France.

The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) was set up by the European Union to combat youth Key figures unemployment and to speed up delivery of the European Youth Guarantee. This specific fund The YEI in France: receives matching funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) and is intended for Member

State regions with youth unemployment rates in excess of 25%. It is intended to fund €622 million YEI + ESF

initiatives to help "NEETs", young people Not in Education, Employment or Training.. In 2012, 16 territories in France qualify (13 the baseline year for YEI eligibility, the NEET rate in France was 12.5% - more than 900 000 Regions and 3 Departments) young people - and the youth unemployment rate for young people aged 15-24 was 24.5%. 1 Specific YEI National Operational 16 territories are eligible for YEI funding: 13 regions (Aquitaine, Auvergne, Centre, Programme, administered by the Champagne -Ardennes, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Upper Normandy, Languedoc-Roussillon, central government Martinique, Mayotte, Nord Pas-de-Calais, Picardy and Reunion) and 3 departments 12 multi-funded ERDF-ESF-YEI (Bouches-du-Rhône, Haute-Garonne and Seine Saint-Denis). Regional Operational Programmes, administered by the Regional France received funding of €310.2 million specifically from the YEI fund, with a matching Councils €312 million coming from the ESF This package of €622 million was split between the specific YEI National Operational Programme (70% of the funds), administered by the French General Delegation for Employment and Vocational Training (DGEFP), and 12 multi-funded ERDF-ESF-YEI Regional Operational Programmes (30% of the funds), administered by the Regional Councils of the territories qualifying for YEI funding. The specific YEI National Operational Programme also covers two components: a "central" package administered by the French General Delegation for Employment and Vocational Training (DGEFP) to fund national schemes, and a "decentralised" package managed by Direccte-Dieccte (territorial delegated management authorities).

€188 million YEI -ESF funding €434 million YEI-ESF funding administered by the Regional administered by the DGEFP

Councils

National Regional YEI ESF YEI ESF contribution contribution €216 €218 €38 million €94 €94 ~ €70 million 58% million million million million €622 millionRegion

YEI+ESF funding

This study is co-financed by the European Social Fund as part of the "Youth Employment Initiative" national 1 operational programme EUROPEAN UNION

Focus on the evaluation methodology

This YEI evaluation is one of the statutory obligations in the area of evaluation of European funds. Throughout the programme period (2014-2020), the management authorities are actually responsible for evaluating the efficacy, efficiency and impact of their programme schemes. In France, the 13 management authorities involved in the YEI decided to join forces to produce a single study in 2015. The Delegation for Employment and Vocational Training (DGEFP) has full financial responsibility for this evaluation, while the 12 Regional Councils that manage the YEI were members of the steering committees of the study and were involved in the validation of all its stages.

Given the progress of the YEI and the data available, the 2015 evaluation is a theory-based impact assessment: it must enable the intervention approach, implementation and expected impacts of the YEI in France to be analysed. This theory-based approach is complementary to the so-called "counterfactual" approach, and seeks to understand "why, how, for whom and under what conditions the YEI may have an intentional or unintentional impact". This 2015 evaluation must also contribute to the preparation of the evaluation of the YEI's impact on young people, planned for 2018.

The evaluation is organised around 3 major stages:

. A work preparation stage (September-October 2015), with scoping interviews at national level with the different departments of the DGEFP and national partners and operators. A first work seminar with the management authorities was held in October 2015.

. A "field" stage in 12 territories (October-December 2015), covered by the YEI National Operational Programme and a Regional Operational Programme. During this phase, interviews were held with the Regional Councils, regional government, and operators involved in the implementation of the YEI. A second work seminar was held in January 2016, to discuss the lessons of the evaluation and to develop recommendations.

. A work finalisation and deliverables preparation stage (December 2015-May 2016). A symposium in May 2016 provided the occasion for release of the evaluation results.

This evaluation is based on qualitative and quantitative data collection. Interviews held at national level and in the territories were used to analyse the different approaches of the management authorities, partners and operators in the implementation of the YEI.

In all, over 140 interviews took place: 74 beneficiary operators; 23 Regional Council departments or services; 26 DIRECCTE departments or services; 16 central government departments or services and 2 European Commission services. The objective elements were based primarily on data from "Ma démarche FSE" (the software used to monitor the initiatives of the national operational programme). There was, however, no reliable and consistent data source for the regional operational programmes in late 2015. The analysis of the first pathways of the young people involved

Data collectionData in the YEI is highly fragmented and is mentioned for information only: YEI funded initiatives have been set up but some will not begin until 2016 and data entry in "Ma Démarche FSE" may also be subject to delay for some operations. The data in this document should therefore be interpreted with caution. More generally, as the programme schemes were only partly under way, much of the data was not yet available or was incomplete as at 31/12/2015.

By the end of 2015, most of the French YEI-ESF funding package was allocated To help its many young NEETs swiftly, France undertook to apply the whole YEI-ESF package allocated to it before 31 December 2015. To date, almost all the funds have allocated (84% of the French YEI-ESF package). In the national YEI operational programme, the package was quickly allocated - 94% of the central component package was allocated to major national schemes while 71% of the decentralised component package was allocated via the involvement of operators through calls for projects. However, programme progress varies from one Direccte to another: while most territories have managed to allocate the funds, some Direcctes have experienced more difficulties, because of the tight schedule, the restrictions of the IEJ funding tool (resulting in difficulties mobilising operators) and a risk of service "saturation". For the regional operational programmes, implementation is also at an advanced stage, particularly for Regions that chose to allocate all (or a significant portion) of their funding package to Regional Training Programme initiatives or other pre-existing schemes. 97% of the YEI-ESF package allocated to the Regional Councils was therefore used by the end of 2015.

The majority of the YEI-ESF funding package was used for enhanced support initiatives (48% of the French package), mainly funded by the national YEI operational programme. These enhanced support measures are largely sponsored by local youth centres (Youth Guarantee and support schemes funded by Direccte), but also by community associations, local authorities, public/private industry organisations. The next largest amount was allocated to training expenses (31% of the French package), mainly funded by the Regional Councils (Regional Training Programme initiatives, qualification pathway schemes, etc.), but to an extent also by the Delegation for Employment and Vocational Training (funding of Emplois d'Avenir training at national level). The proportion of the packages assigned to initiatives for the identification of young NEETs was lower (less than 3% of the French package). Ultimately, in the French Overseas Territories, the YEI funding has mainly been for specific pathway and qualification access schemes: the French/Overseas territories school leaver support bodies.

Key figures Key figures The programme of schemes of the national YEI operational programme The programme of schemes of the Central Decentralised regional operational programmes component component

€154 €193 €182 million million million YEI+ESF YEI+ESF YEI+ESF

€108 million (59% of the funding package) on (70% of the funding package) allocated to enhanced support initiatives €241 million Regional Training Programme initiatives €41 million (12% of the funding package) allocated to the Adapted Military Service €28 million (15% of the funding package) €29 million (8% of the funding package) on Emplois d'Avenir training allocated to "apprenticeship" type initiatives €7 million (2% of the funding package) on initiatives for the identification and support of €28 million (15% of the funding package) unqualified school leavers (enhancement of Unqualified School Leaver Monitoring and Support allocated to integrated pathway initiatives (long- Platforms) term qualification preparation schemes) €6 million (2% of the funding package) on specific initiatives for the identification of unsupported "new NEETs" 3

An approach based on concentration of funding in a specific period and on major support and training initiatives

What "volume" effect can we expect from the YEI?

About 900,000 young people aged between 15 and 24 may be considered to have fallen within the "NEET" category in 2012 in France, 435 000 of them in the 16 territories qualifying for YEI. The figures include both young people who fell temporarily into the NEET category (young people with qualifications, for example, who were awaiting their first job) and other more marginalised young people, who have been NEETs for much longer (for example young people leaving school without qualifications, who struggle to gain a foothold in the jobs market). The population of young NEETs is in fact continuously renewing itself and the available data gives a snapshot only at one particular moment in time. It does not take account of the flow of young people who are entering and leaving this "NEET" category. The National YEI operational programme sets a target of 300,000 young Key figures NEETs to be reached by YEI funded schemes. Of these NEETs, 100 000 are targeted by national schemes funded by the central component (Youth Guarantee, AIJ Pôle The young NEETs targeted by the Emploi, APEC support, Emplois d'Avenir training). By the end of 2015, more than YEI in France 51,000 participants had been recorded as being covered by these schemes - i.e. more than half of the original target. These figures are encouraging, given the roll- National 300,000 young NEETs targeted operational out pace of the schemes and the possible delay in entering data on the "Ma programme ~ 90,000 participants démarche FSE" system. In the decentralised component, the funded schemes are Regional being rolled out more gradually Direccte and the operators have sometimes ~ 65,000 young NEETs targeted needed a scoping period to make project adjustments or examine the rules operational programme N/A participants governing any overlap between the schemes. In fact, 2014 and early 2015 were s primarily devoted to demarcating the respective remits of Central Government and the Regions, launching calls for projects and clarification of the scope of the YEI funded actions. For some initiatives , there is a risk of underachievement as a result of competition between operators.

For their part, the regional operational programmes set a target for the number of young people to be reached by 2018 - around 65,000 NEETs in the 12 territories covered by a regional operational programme. By the end of 2015, data on the number of participants in the operations were not available.

In total, therefore, more than 360,000 young NEETs are targeted by the YEI funded schemes in France. It should be noted that it is difficult to determine whether or not this target is over-ambitious: is it a demanding objective given the number of young NEETs in the territories? Note that it would be a mistake to draw a parallel between this target of 360,000 young NEETs and the figure of 435,000 young NEETs aged 15 to 24 recorded in the 16 territories covered by the YEI in 2012, because - as mentioned above - the stock of NEETs is continuously renewing itself.

What effect does the YEI have on widening the variety of initiatives and on innovation?

YEI funds must be used to facilitate rapid action with numerous NEETs but it also has a role in stimulating new projects and new forms of support for young NEETs. However, in reality the number of YEI funded new operators and new initiatives remains marginal. In the central component of the national YEI operational programme, the funded schemes were already in existence or already being planned. The Youth Guarantee has been in place since 2013, the Emplois d'Avenir ("Jobs for the Future") schemes were created in 2012 and the enhanced support of the Pôle Emploi ("Employment Centre Service") and APEC are covered by the extension of previous trials and the National Multisector Agreement (ANI) for young people. The allocation of additional funds primarily enables these flagship schemes to be deployed more quickly and the key role of the major national operators to be enhanced. In the decentralised component, calls for projects have facilitated a limited emergence of new projects and new operators. Depending on the territory, however, the approach adopted by the Direcctes to their programme schemes could be broken down differently.

Initially, the YEI-ESF package was allocated primarily under a safeguarding approach: the aim was to act quickly by rapid mobilisation of "risk-free" operators (in anticipation of the monitoring undertaken, ensuring the ability of the operators to support a sufficient number of young NEETs and avoiding automatic drop-out). Following this initial stage, the Direcctes opened their service provision to new operators and projects, to a greater or lesser extent. Several Direcctes also mobilised project sponsors with the aim of diversifying the types of support offered to young people (public/private industry organisations, for example, in the apprenticeship or company link component), or to support specific sub-groups of young NEETs (young people in court or in rural environments for example). Other Direcctes have chosen to set up "pathways" by funding project sponsors (local community associations, urban policies, etc.) involved in the identification of young NEETs, unknown or not, supported by the public employment service or by funding operators implementing pathway coordination platforms (Conseils départmentaux -county councils- for example). Overall, in the "identification" component, while the unqualified school leaver agencies (MLDS), have frequently been mobilised through academic quangos, this is less the case for those operating in the "social sphere" (community social action centres, county councils, local community organisations). More often than not, operators funded through YEI calls for projects are also operators familiar with European funds (very few operators had not already been funded under the previous ESF programme scheme). For the regional operational programmes, the YEI-ESF funding package was primarily allocated to existing schemes (Regional Training Programmes or other schemes for access to qualifications). The use of calls for projects was more limited, and was mostly used at a second stage to "complement" the programme scheme. These calls for projects were mainly used to fund initiatives for entrepreneurship and apprenticeships for young people, given the demarcation of remits defined with Central Government. This limited contribution of YEI funding to the development of new or experimental initiatives is the result of several factors. First, the YEI funding mechanism, because it is coupled with the European Social Fund, produces a "safeguarding" reflex in both management authorities and operators. Also, some types of initiative are incompatible with the YEI funding rules, which do not permit the funding of engineering credits (often needed to support the emergence of new projects and to coordinate the services offered) or so-called "prevention" initiatives, for young people at risk of becoming NEETs (which can have an impact on the involvement of certain partners, such as the National Education department). Finally, the tight implementation schedule has prevented the development of a shared diagnosis of the needs of the territory, the resources available and the gaps in existing provision.

What effect does YEI funding have on the support of young NEETs?

As mentioned above, most of the French YEI-ESF funding package has been allocated to enhanced support initiatives (70% of national YEI operational programme funds). This desire to promote qualitative enhancement of initiatives targeting young NEETs has been helped by the "dedicated FTEs" funding approach. YEI funded operators have therefore been able to assign dedicated advisers/support workers to the initiatives. This type of structure promotes much closer and more effective adviser-young person relationships and supports the "group workshops/individual discussion" approach and an increase in the work experience options available. It is an advantage for the young person and for the operators who can provide the resources for intensive, tailored support. In some cases, operators have been able to access additional YEI funds to upgrade their support methods and practices (broader range of thematic workshops, increase in work experience placements, management of obstacles to recruitment, etc.).

While the added value of these initiatives in young people's pathways will undergo evaluation in 2018, this approach - using YEI funds to target enhanced support initiatives - is completely consistent with the desire to act quickly. Research shows that this type of approach has a short-term benefit on young people's pathways and their employment outcomes (but makes no assumptions about any long-term impact).

What effect does YEI funding have on setting up "pathways"?

The "pathway" idea is less explicit in the YEI objectives. The national YEI operational programmes follow the French Response to the European Youth Guarantee by defining 3 pathway stages: identification, support and training. However, the isolated use of YEI funding in one or more of these 3 stages will not be sufficient to ensure the enrolment of young NEETs on employability pathways. It is actually the coordination of these 3 stages, through networking and effective coordination between stakeholders at territorial and individual levels that achieves this result. In fact, the action of the management authorities in targeting calls for projects, selecting operators and in the territorial coordination arrangements, are more or less consistent with the pathway approach. Some Direcctes have therefore introduced the notion of pathways into their calls for projects and have mobilised operators for complementary work. Given the tight implementation schedule, coordination of services at territorial level has had little time to be put into place and linkages between operations therefore depend primarily on the operators themselves. Obstacles impeding the coordination of initiatives include competition between operators and poor ownership of the YEI rules in terms of the options for combining schemes for the same young person. It is interesting to note, however, that YEI funds have been used for "integrated pathway" schemes even though this was not the primary aim of the YEI or of the French plan in response to the European Youth Guarantee. In this case, the scheme covers several stages (from re-engagement to access to training, for example) which form a pathway of their own. For the national YEI operational programme, the Youth Guarantee and the Adapted Military Service are prime examples of this approach (e.g. long- term support with several modules simultaneously covering both social integration and employment difficulties) Several initiatives in the regional operational programmes are also consistent with these goals. For example the Access to Qualifications Agreement (CAQ) in Upper Normandy, the Multi-occupation Multi-skills Work Experience scheme in Martinique and the new scheme for access to qualifications (incorporating several initiatives from definition of a pathway plan to acquisition of employment skills) in Languedoc-Roussillon.

The YEI primarily provides "better" and "more" support for young NEETs who are already known and reinforces existing partnerships

What effect does YEI funding have on young NEETs receiving support?

The data available on young people reached through the YEI only relate to initiatives funded by the national YEI operational programme (data entered in the "Ma démarche FSE" monitoring program - about 90,000 participants recorded in late 2015). Young people who are the beneficiaries of YEI funded initiatives are poorly qualified (47.8% of young people with an ISCED educational level from 0 to 2). However, these findings are not significantly different from those usually observed in young people targeted by schemes addressing local demographics (for example, schemes run by local youth centres).

 54.2% are male and 45.8% are female.  81.6% have qualifications of 0 to 4 in the ISCED International Standard Classification of Education scale (baccalaureate at most) and 48.7% have ISCED qualification levels of 0 to 2 (French level V CAP/BEP vocational training qualifications);  26.1% live in a household in which nobody is in work;  2.1 % are officially recognised as having a disability  7.0% receive minimum social security benefits (RSA, ASS, and AAH income support and disability benefits);  3.3% are homeless or face housing exclusion.

In qualitative terms, by channelling more resources towards intensive, individualized support, the YEI package can be used to enhance initiatives seeking to provide "better" and "more" support to many young people. As discussed above, some initiatives have also focused significant effort on targeting groups that are normally hard to reach. However, these initiatives are still relatively marginal and cover only small numbers of young people.. In fact, the work of identifying new young NEETs has been more difficult to implement, for reasons of time and available resources and because of the constraints of the funding mechanism.

In terms of initial outcomes, the data available on "Ma démarche FSE" show that the positive outcome rates (employment, training or education) of YEI funded initiatives exceed the targets set in the national YEI operational programme. 52% of young people leaving a YEI funded initiative on 31 December 2015 had found a job, were in training or had resumed studies. These initial results should be interpreted with caution: they are only partial results at this stage (the initiatives are ongoing and some did not start until the second half of 2015 or even 2016). The 2018 evaluation will provide greater clarity on the impact of YEI funding on the pathways of young NEETs.

Key figures

The initial results of initiatives funded by the national YEI operational programme

Outcomes targets set by the national YEI operational Outcomes at 31/12/2015 from national YEI operational programme schemes programme EmploiSustainable Studies - job Training

Other job

With a Without a positive positive outcome outcome 300 000 young people Sample of ~ 42 900 young people

What effect does YEI funding have on local partnerships?

The deployment of YEI funds above all strengthens the two main traditional support networks: Pôle Emploi (Employment Centres) and the local youth centres. The degree to which the programme has been opened up to other operators has varied depending on the territory, notably in the area of identification (variable involvement of county councils, local area social support organisations, etc.). Overall, due to lack of time, project engineering and preliminary diagnosis, the opening up of the service offer remains relatively modest. Also coordination of services at territorial level has had little time to be put in place, which has had an impact on the roll-out of the pathways. The question of joined-up operator interventions was an issue for Direccte, for initiatives funded under its calls for projects, but also in its links with the Regional Council which is also active in funding initiatives through the YEI package. At territorial level, the remits of the Central Government and the Region have been negotiated and defined, to provide clarity about their areas of action. These "dividing lines" are primarily a form of "separation" that clearly demarcate the work being performed and avoid duplication of funding. In fact, this work enables the allocation of the funds to be secured effectively by avoiding duplication, but it has no impact on joining up the different services offered in the territory. Fundamentally, the issue of "joined-up services" raises the question of the appointment of a project leader who is able to take charge of the coordination work. In the decentralisation provisions set forth in the NOTRe law, the appointment of the project leader is not a given because it presupposes legitimacy in several areas: identification and guidance of young people; employability; qualifications and jobs. The YEI was implemented in

a highly complex territorial environment which was not conducive to effectively coordinated and joined up action. But this coordination and management weakness is also due to the specific nature of the YEI: this is a financial instrument rather than a public policy or device. The management authorities therefore prioritised a "financial" reading of the YEI which was undoubtedly disadvantageous to the establishment of a joint territorial strategy for the employability of young NEETs. There was, therefore, no territorial diagnosis of this type, so the challenge for the future is how to apply a more detailed assessment of the population of young NEETs and its various components to the existing services offered and interventions to be prioritized.

Recommendations The recommendations cover two main areas which depend on decisions taken by the European Commission regarding the extension or renewal of the YEI.

 A first possibility is that the YEI funded is extended beyond 2017.

 The second possibility is that the YEI funding is not renewed. The recommendations therefore relate to finalising the implementation of the current programme schemes.

Recommendations in the event of renewal of the YEI At this stage, this is only a hypothesis. If the YEI is renewed, two key scenarios are possible.

 The "extension" scenario: this YEI is renewed along similar lines

In this scenario, the YEI could be extended for another four years. The major components of the funding mechanism would remain unchanged. The YEI would still be match-funded by the ESF and would therefore be bound by the ESF Regulations. This scenario also includes continuation of the investment already agreed by all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the YEI. The work involved would capitalize, in some way, on the initiatives implemented and draw on the experience and expertise of the YEI programmes rolled out over the last two years.

The lessons of this first impact study suggest that the extension of the YEI would be more effective with:

 More implementation time: a four-year programme schedule would mean that stakeholders could undertake a proper territorial diagnosis and target populations and territories based on identified needs and gaps in the current service provision.  Increasing the number of initiatives focusing on the identification of young NEETs. The main objective is to focus on the target groups with most difficulties or those who are not being adequately supported by standard public services.  The possibility of substantial funding for engineering to support initiatives for the identification of young NEETs, new and innovative actions and new operators that are not necessarily experienced in the use of EU funds.

In terms of the implementation of the YEI package, in this scenario, as in the others, local territorial coordination will need to be set up to enable the different institutional agencies and operators to coordinate their services better, so that smooth and consistent employability pathways can be structured. This will involve the following aspects:

 A precise territorial diagnosis, on existing demand and supply of services at sub-regional level.  Identifying priority targets among the general "NEET" target group so that actions and resources can be better calibrated to address the employability problems of young people.  Issuing calls for joint projects Central Government/Regional Councils to encourage the development of "pathways".  Develop this diagnosis and the priorities for action in the partnership framework of the CREFOPs (Regional Committees for Employment, Training and Career Guidance).  Ensure effective communication and coordination between the business services and the ESF services of the different management authorities.

The "renewal" scenario

This renewal scenario provides more room for manoeuvre, both in devising programme schemes and in making changes to the funding mechanism.

 Clarification of the NEET concept - the target group is evidently one of the most disadvantaged groups in terms of employability, including unqualified school leavers and the least qualified young people.  The selection of the territories for the YEI is based on unemployment rates over a number of years (at least three) and on the proportion of unqualified or poorly qualified young people.  The funding mechanism rules permit the allocation of funds to engineering.  The arrangements for implementation of the YEI are based on calls for projects for all the management authorities.  The YEI could become an ad hoc funding mechanism for the implementation of the European Youth Guarantee by circumventing the ESF rules to mitigate the constraints related to the ESF funding mechanism.

As in the previous scenario, local territorial coordination needs to be put in place to optimise the leverage of the funding and maximise consistency between the different services offered in terms of their target group, access to training and employment for the most vulnerable groups.

Operational recommendations for finalising the implementation of the current YEI programme schemes. These recommendations are limited given the progress of the current programme schemes These recommendations aim to facilitate the completion of the initiatives deployed so far so that lessons can be learned from the YEI's implementation and fed into employment policies for young people.

 Ensure the development of territorial coordination so that the implementation of the programme schemes can be finalised. This involves the development of forums for sharing between operators and management authorities to avoid duplication of enrolments on YEI funded schemes and to provide the pathways with a smooth and coherent structure.  Rapid completion of the interface between the different information systems of the management authorities to make the results more visible ("Ma démarche FSE" for Central Government and Synergies for most Conseils départmentaux (county councils)).  Identify the indicators needed for the 2018 evaluation and prepare the data collection.  Disseminate the lessons of this evaluation to all stakeholders and partners so that short-, medium- and long-term action plans can be defined to optimise the implementation and coordination of the policies, schemes and funding resources to be allocated to the employability of young people.

NATIONAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME – INITIATIVE ON EMPLOYING YOUNG PEOPLE IN METROPOLITAN FRANCE AND THE FRENCH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES (YEI)