Mid-Term Evaluations of The Prince’s Trust Cymru Enterprise Programme

The Prince’s Trust Cymru Enterprise Programme (funded by the Welsh European Funding Office) provides a service to young people in Wales who wish to explore self-employment as a means of financial independence.

It provides information sessions on setting up in business, one-to-one support from Trust staff and business volunteers, and small test grants for those who go on to start a business. It also guides young people towards further education, training and employment if they find that self-employment is not for them.

The Trust was granted European Social Fund part-funding from April 2008 until March 2014 to deliver the Enterprise Programme throughout Wales and asked us in 2012 to carry out mid-term evaluations in two ESF areas of Wales.

We looked at the success of the programme so far through observation of its information sessions, analysis of statistical data and programme materials, and interviews with staff, business mentors and programme participants.

Pretty smiling woman with a laptop computer sitting on the sidewalk