Evaluating the School to Work Transitions program

The Queensland Department of Trade, Employment and Training commissioned Outpost Consulting to evaluate the School to Work Transitions (S2WT) program. Funded under the Queensland Workforce Strategy, the program supports school students at risk of not transitioning successfully to further education, training or employment, including students from low-SES areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students with disability.

Guided by the program logic, we assessed the program’s success, effectiveness and value across its first two funding rounds. There were 13 projects across the state covering a broad range of industries. Our mixed-methods approach combined a desktop review, an environmental scan of Australian and international practice, an employer survey, and 37 interviews with project coordinators, teachers, students, peak bodies, unions and government agencies. Student stories showed the program’s impact on individual young people. Our findings and recommendations informed the design of the next iteration of the program and subsequent funding rounds.