Evaluation of the STEP Ukraine Programme

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What is the issue?

The outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine has forced many Ukrainians to flee their country in search of safety from the conflict. Ukrainian guests may face challenges when adjusting to life in the United Kingdom, including accessing English language support, finding work and becoming self-sufficient. In response to these challenges, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has developed and implemented the STEP Ukraine Programme. STEP Ukraine provides language and employment support to Ukrainian guests in the UK through an intensive ten-week language course and 12 weeks of employment support. The programme was developed and implemented in collaboration with World Jewish Relief (WJR) and the British Council (BC).

How are we helping?

The MHCLG commissioned a consortium led by Alma Economics with RAND Europe to conduct an evaluation of the STEP Ukraine Programme. The evaluation will include the following main strands of work:

Impact evaluation led by Alma Economics: Identifies the impact of STEP Ukraine Programme on participants’ English language skills and employment outcomes.
Economic evaluation led by Alma Economics: Assesses the Value for Money (VfM) of the intervention by comparing the cost of the programme with its benefits.
Process evaluation led by RAND Europe: Examines how STEP Ukraine was delivered and experienced by stakeholders and end-users. It will complement the impact evaluation to understand how, why and to what extent success has been achieved.
Scoping exercise of HMRC PAYE data led by RAND Europe: Conducts a feasibility assessment of using HMRC PAYE data to explore the potential medium-term impacts of STEP Ukraine on employment outcomes of intervention participants.

The project builds upon a Theory of Change for the STEP Ukraine Programme and will be informed by desk research, online survey delivery and analysis, interviews and workshops with key stakeholders.