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Dave Simmonds

Emeritus Fellow

Dave Simmonds OBE was the chief executive of the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion up until its merger to form Learning and Work Institute. Dave was the co-founder of Inclusion in 1996 and built it to be a respected voice in UK ‘welfare to work’ research and policy. Dave has also worked as a special adviser to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, and the OECD. Dave has advised the Scottish and Welsh governments, as well as the Northern Ireland Executive and the Republic of Ireland on their work on unemployment. Dave was awarded an OBE in the honours list for summer 2005 and is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Employability Professionals. Prior to Inclusion he was interim director for England at the National Lottery Charities Board, now Big Lottery, and held various posts at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, where he was responsible for economic policy and voluntary sector involvement in labour market programmes.

1 April 2026

Supporting the progression of low-income workers in Scotland

With funding from the Robertson Trust, Learning and Work Institute has been working in partnership with Edinburgh College to develop a pilot to support low-income workers in Scotland to progress into better jobs.

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1 April 2026

Final report: Supporting the progression of low-income workers in Scotland

This report shares findings from the second phase of our programme of work funded by the Robertson Trust and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College. It sets out a proposed model for a new, evidence-led, in-work progression programme in Edinburgh.

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19 March 2026

Labour Market Briefing: March 2026

Our analysis of the ONS labour market statistics, released on the morning of 19 March 2026.

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19 March 2026

ESOL provision for 16–19-year-olds

Learning and Work Institute (L&W) was commissioned by the South East Strategic Partnership for Migration (SESPM) and funded by MHCLG, to research availability, challenges and opportunities in ESOL provision for 16-19‑year‑olds across the South East.

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19 March 2026

Labour market stats response, March 2026

L&W’s chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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17 March 2026

There’s one million NEETs in the UK. Are we doing enough?

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive at Learning and Work Institute, reflects on the Government’s expansion of the Youth Guarantee and if support is going far enough to help young people into work or training.

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17 March 2026

Beyond the headline: What emerging qualitative insights tell us about supporting young people into work

Iona McArdle, L&W’s JobsPlus Programme Manager, shares some emerging insights from the JobsPlus evaluation on young people’s experiences of being not in education, employment or training (NEET).

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16 March 2026

Responding to the Government’s announcement on expanding opportunities for young people

L&W Chief Executive Stephen Evans responds to the Government’s announcement on expanding opportunities for young people on 16 March 2026.

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13 March 2026

Training and skills needs: Trends and challenges in UK growth sectors

This report, the second in a series of publications funded by Nuffield Foundation, explores the level of estimated skills needs in UK businesses alongside the level and type of training that employers provide.

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