Learning and Work Institute supported and evaluated the Department for Education’s Cost and Outreach Pilots. The results of these Cost and Outreach Pilots are informing development of the Government’s lifelong learning and adult skills policy, including the National Skills Fund.

The Cost and Outreach Pilots to tested:

• what approaches to outreach are most successful at engaging adults in learning;
• whether offering a subsidy to the course fee encourages the uptake of learning.

The evaluation focused on assessing the impact of the pilots on:

• the level of participation in learning, course completions and the achievement of qualifications in pilot areas;
• the profile of learners in pilot areas;
• outcomes for individuals who took part in the pilot.

The evaluation also assessed how and why impacts were achieved and the approaches that were most and least effective.