Key Points

There are now more UK citizens who are in poverty who are working than those who are not. 571,000 Londoners have been stuck in low pay for at least a year and numbers are rising. This creates a new challenge for government and charities such as ours

• The Step Up programme was designed to trial ways of supporting people to progress to better paid, more secure employment and develop their careers. It was funded by Trust for London and the Walcot Foundation and ran from 2015 to 2018

IN MORE DETAIL
Six local organisations were funded to develop new programmes of support. Each organisation had a slightly different focus, tailoring support for parents, young people in the hospitality sector, or Latin American workers:

• The Creative Society supported low paid workers in the creative and cultural sectors
• High Trees Community Development Trust based in Tulse Hill worked in particular lone parents and over 50s
• Indoamerican Refugee And Migrant Organisation (IRMO) supported low-paid Latin American workers, focusing on helping cleaners in particular
• Springboard UK supported low paid young people in the catering and hospitality sector
• Thames Reach and Clean Slate used digital engagement, alongside more conventional approaches, to support low paid workers
• Women Like Us focused on low paid parents (mostly women, including many lone parents)

BACKGROUND MATERIALS TO THE PROGRAMME

Year 3 Follow-up Evaluation Reports - June 2019
This final report was presented to the Better Work Network Conference on 24 June 2019.  It has built on the year two evaluation and provides further analysis of monitoring information, an impact assessment and cost benefit analysis, as well as longitudinal research with Step Up participants to assess the pilot’s performance across its lifetime. In addition, a report on job brokerage in in-work support initiatives and a guide for commissioners on in-work poverty projects were also produced.

• Reports can be found here:
  Key Findings | Full Report | Guide for Commissioners | Job Brokerage Report

Year 2 Evaluation Reports - March 2018
We were delighted, in partnership with Trust for London and the Learning and Work Institute, to launch at City Hall on 9 March 2018 the evaluation findings of our Step Up programme.  This followed a two year programme trialling ways of enabling people in low paid work to progress their careers.

• Reports can be found here:
  Key Findings | Full Report | Step Up Providers Case Studies  

Solutions to in-work poverty are relatively unexplored. The Step Up programme broke new ground and generated valuable information to any organisation or commissioning body looking to design a project that supports low paid workers.  We remain especially interested in tackling in-work poverty, and will be applying what has been discovered from Step Up to assess future in-work applications.

LINKS
Key Findings - Year 3 
Full Report - Year 3 

Key Findings - Years 1-2
Full Report - Years 1-2    
​
Guide for Commissioners 
Job Brokerage Report
​Step Up Providers Case Studies