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Our Knowledge and Expertise

Education and Young People

HOST has wide experience of both policy and operational issues in key current policy areas including for pre-16 education, the development of 14-19 education, engaging disaffected and low attaining young people, enabling progression, employability and enterprise education for young people, partnerships in pre-16 vocational education. In post-16 education and training, HOST is one of the few independent and specialist research groups looking at new approaches to post-secondary vocational education and training for young people (under 19), and has been involved in applying research to shaping many of the government initiatives developed in this area since the early 1990s – including apprenticeships, entry to employment programmes, key and foundation skills, enhanced careers education and guidance, and most recently the Foundation Learning Tier.

In addition, HOST has been actively involved both as policy researchers and evaluators with many of the key developments for initial and continuing education of teachers in schools, colleges, and the independent sector, as well as subject-based pedagogical developments, leadership and non-professional workforce development in schools, colleges and other providers.

In these and other areas, HOST has proven expertise in developing effective action research and formative evaluation processes, involving high levels of schools (and other provider) practitioner and wider stakeholder engagement. Applying this knowledge and expertise, HOST has conducted numerous projects, as diverse as early years education, vocational pathways in 14-19 education, schools attainment and added-value of learning, pre-16 progression, reviews of careers education innovations in schools, and education-business partnerships. In vocational education and training, HOST has conducted numerous studies of apprenticeships (SME Attitudes and Engagement; Gender Imbalances; and sectoral pathways), disaffected young people, engagement programmes and qualifications for 16-19s; and employer investments in 14-19 education.

A recent project for the LSC involved the evaluation of a number of good practice interventions or systems in working with young people who are classified as not in employment, education or training (NEET), and through data collection and action research to identify the key mechanisms of success that could inform policies, priorities, action plans and the design of the 14-19 system to facilitate improved participation, retention and success of post-16 learners. Other important studies have included (for the National Apprenticeship Service) the development of an end-to-end certification process, and for LSIS/QCA a review of support and capacity building in the post-16 Foundation Learning Tier.