Developed as part of the Careertech Challenge, this evaluation toolkit provides a simple step-by-step guide to developing realistic, proportionate and high-quality evaluations.

The future of work is changing, providing opportunities for new careers and novel ways of working. Changes to the world of work will be driven by long-term trends such as technological and demographic change as well as the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Future skills requirements will increasingly emphasise interpersonal, higher-order cognitive skills (such as fluency of ideas and active learning) and systems skills (such as judgement and decision making). The future workforce will need a combination of broad-based and specialised knowledge and there is currently limited evidence of ‘what works’ to support people to build these skills and support them into new careers.

This evaluation toolkit has been developed by L&W based on our experience as the evaluation partner on the Nesta and Department for Education CareerTech Challenge in 2020/21. This was a £5.75 million programme to encourage bold solutions to improve people’s working lives and unlock employment opportunities for the future. From March 2020, L&W worked closely with 11 innovators to evaluate the effectiveness of their digital and online learning solutions in building career adaptability skills and learner motivation amongst people who are working in shrinking sectors and occupations.

The toolkit is designed to support delivery organisations, developers and providers to consider the best ways to evaluate online learning interventions designed to support adults to build skills that support their careers. Through a collection of case studies, checklists, templates and question banks, this toolkit provides advice on how to evaluate interventions with a step-by-step guide to developing realistic, proportionate and high quality plans for an evaluation.

Download the full toolkit

Download

22 December 2025

From confusion to clarity: rethinking England’s 670 occupational standards

L&W’s Stephen Evans and Pearson’s Donna Ford-Clarke reflect on findings from our recent research on England’s occupational standards – of which there are now more than double the number in countries like Germany and Switzerland.

Read more

7 November 2025

No train no gain

This research, supported by Multiverse, finds that access to training is a boon for people’s pay and careers. The training dividend is greatest for those on the lower rungs of the occupational ladder, helping them go further, faster.

Read more

7 November 2025

Spotlight on Newport: Place within a Place

Ufi VocTech Trust, in partnership with Adult Learning Wales, Newport City Council and Learning and Work Institute, have launched an innovative place-based collaboration to integrate education and skills development opportunities within the communities of East Newport.

Read more

7 November 2025

Working class people paid more when they get training from their employer

Experts are calling on the Government to do more to get employers investing in training, as research reveals it’s a “boon for people’s pay and careers” – particularly for working class people.

Read more

5 November 2025

Responding to the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review

Learning and Work Institute’s Chief Executive Stephen Evans responds to the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Read more

4 November 2025

Manchester City Council, BBC Studios and former Chancellor Ed Balls all celebrated at the Get the Nation Learning awards

Manchester City Council, BBC Studios Drama and Ed Balls have all picked up trophies in a striking ceremony held at the Barbican to celebrate the first-ever Get the Nation Learning Awards.

Read more

4 November 2025

Get the Nation Learning

Our campaign for lifelong learning. Because when adults learn, our society and economy thrive.

Read more

3 November 2025

The workforce learning slowdown? Adult Participation in Learning Survey 2025

For nearly 30 years, the Adult Participation in Learning Survey has provided a unique insight into adult learning across the UK. It adopts a deliberately broad definition of learning. Discover our findings from 2025.

Read more

3 November 2025

Post-pandemic leap in lifelong learning appears over, as national survey finds freefalling participation rates

Experts are warning of a “workforce learning slowdown” as the long-running Adult Participation in Learning Survey records a sharp contraction in the number of adults learning nationally.

Read more