Responding to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s spring statement, Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of Learning and Work Institute (L&W), said:

“It’s good to see the extra £1 billion investment in employment support confirmed, given two in ten out-of-work disabled people want to work but only one in ten get help to find work each year. But it will take time to see the benefit of this investment and the outlook is challenging, with growth remaining low, the world uncertain, skills funding cut by £1 billion in England since 2010, and real wages still £246 per week below their pre-financial crisis trends. Going for growth can only succeed if we have sufficient skilled workers; we need the Government and employers to step up to do this.”

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18 June 2026

Labour market stats response, June 2026

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

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9 June 2026

Innovative, “hyper-local” approach to employment support completes two years

An innovative employment support pilot spanning Medway to Merseyside has shown promise reaching social housing residents who are out of work but do not typically access mainstream support.

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29 May 2026

I found my voice through lifelong learning – others deserve the same chance

Ed Balls, Former Cabinet Minister and Shadow Chancellor, sets out why lifelong learning is vital for the country.

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28 May 2026

Responding to the interim report of the Milburn review

L&W chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the interim report from the Milburn review on Thursday 28 May 2026.

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19 May 2026

Labour market stats response, May 2026

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

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21 April 2026

Labour market stats response, April 2026

L&W’s chief economist Dr Helen Gray responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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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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