Response to Employment Data Lab's Analysis: Hertfordshire County Council in their own words
Published 9 July 2026
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Our organisation
The vision of Services for Young People (SfYP) is to meet the needs of young people who are challenged in education, their community or home life, to ensure a successful transition to adulthood.
The primary purpose of SfYP is “enabling young people to succeed” through the delivery of targeted prevention and early intervention work to address emerging needs, improve life chances and reduce escalation to more expensive and intensive services and to ensure young people have the support to reach their potential and transition into Employment, Education or Training (EET) and therefore reduce the risk of a young person becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
SfYP priorities are aligned to Children’s Services priorities and the Outcome Bees Framework.
SfYP is an integrated young people’s service, including staff who have a nationally recognised professional qualification in independent careers education and guidance, or youth work and extensive experience in a relevant area.
Pathways to Success was delivered by Hertfordshire County Council’s Services for Young People (SfYP) and supported young people aged 16 to 25 who were Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). The programme provided personalised, relationship-based support to help young people overcome barriers, build confidence, and move into sustainable education, employment or training.
Through tailored one-to-one support and careers guidance, employability coaching, and strong partnership working, SfYP focused on helping young people take meaningful steps forward. Many participants faced complex challenges, including low attainment and additional needs, so the programme placed equal importance on ‘distance travelled’ such as improved engagement, resilience and readiness for work.
Our response to the analysis
We welcome the findings of this evaluation, which show positive impacts on both employment and education outcomes. The increase in employment at one year and the improvement in course completion rates reflect the strength of our SfYP model, which prioritised sustained engagement and progression. The rise in those actively looking for work also indicated that more young people were moving closer to the labour market.
The reduction in the ‘other NEET’ group was particularly encouraging, suggesting the programme was effective in re-engaging young people who may otherwise have remained disconnected from support. The stronger outcomes at entry level and Level 1 qualifications reflected the starting points of many participants and the importance of building foundations for future progression.
As a locally embedded service within the local authority, SfYP continues to successfully work within a wider system of support, and these results reflected both the impact of the programme and the value of collaboration with partners. We continue to use this learning to strengthen pathways into sustained employment and progression, ensuring that Hertfordshire’s young people are supported to achieve positive, long-term outcomes.
SfYP exit strategy from Pathways to Success has ensured that the young people of Hertfordshire most at risk of becoming NEET are offered appropriate support to attain a positive transition into EET post statutory education.