Project Details
Description
Older people are one of the two groups to fall below the government's 80% employment target; however, policy makers have given less attention to supporting those aged 50+ who are out of work and not in education or training, and many employers do not provide the flexibility to retain and attract this cohort. Many older residents in Surrey report exclusion from employment, under re-employment and/or difficulty navigating support services. This study aims to investigate the needs of older adults, aged 50+, who are not in employment, education, training or retirement (NEETR) through a structured review and user-informed assessment of existing employment and support services (Phase 1) to identify effective strategies to re-engage and support them back into work (Phase 2).
The study will employ a participatory action research (PAR) approach by recruiting and training up to 6 peer researchers, who identify as older NEETRs (aged 50+), to participate in the user assessment and to interview up to 15 older NEETRs. The study will also include iterviews with up to 9 service providers/representatoives from key stakeholder groups. The interviews will be conducted in-person or online via Microsoft Teams. Convenience and purposive sampling methods will be used. NEETRs and peer researchers, will additionally be provided access to the MySAMMI™ interview app and complete pre- and post-questionnaires relating to confidence, skills readiness and employability following its use. Review findings and anonymised user-assessment data from this stage will be used to identify friction points in the current support network and possible solutions to subsequently develop in Phase 2.
A participatory co-design workshop will bring together up to 15 participants (older NEETRs, service providers and relevant stakeholders from Phase 1) and peer researchers to prioritise the evidence-based gaps, to refine practical solutions, and to design and determine the delivery mechanisms of a commission-ready roadmap that clarifies referral pathways, aligns stakeholder roles, and sets out practical mechanisms to support re-engagement into sustainable work.
The study will employ a participatory action research (PAR) approach by recruiting and training up to 6 peer researchers, who identify as older NEETRs (aged 50+), to participate in the user assessment and to interview up to 15 older NEETRs. The study will also include iterviews with up to 9 service providers/representatoives from key stakeholder groups. The interviews will be conducted in-person or online via Microsoft Teams. Convenience and purposive sampling methods will be used. NEETRs and peer researchers, will additionally be provided access to the MySAMMI™ interview app and complete pre- and post-questionnaires relating to confidence, skills readiness and employability following its use. Review findings and anonymised user-assessment data from this stage will be used to identify friction points in the current support network and possible solutions to subsequently develop in Phase 2.
A participatory co-design workshop will bring together up to 15 participants (older NEETRs, service providers and relevant stakeholders from Phase 1) and peer researchers to prioritise the evidence-based gaps, to refine practical solutions, and to design and determine the delivery mechanisms of a commission-ready roadmap that clarifies referral pathways, aligns stakeholder roles, and sets out practical mechanisms to support re-engagement into sustainable work.
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/06/26 → 30/11/26 |