My research will investigate how young people from unskilled households fare in gaining employment in local contexts of poor work and job shortages. The aim of this research is to evaluate different projects run by the People in Work Unit to discover the impact these programmes have had on individuals and in terms of a ripple effect in the wider community.

Some of the research questions for this project include:

• What careers do people go into from community development?
• Did those people who were engaged in the different projects become inspirational to others?
• Are these projects successful in creating or breaking self-image?
• What is the impact on Self Fulfilling Prophesy?
• Does a whole community approach create a cultural tipping point for cultural change in the value of education?
• Do people have aspiration without knowledge?