European Social Fund in New Anglia

What is the European Social Fund?The EU’s key instrument for investing in people and systems:• To improve employment opportunities• To promote education and life-long learning• To enhance social inclusion• To contribute to combating poverty• To improve public servicesESF financing of EUR 10 billion a year is improving job prospects for millions of Europeans, in particular those who find it difficult to get work

Structure of ESF in EnglandPriorities have been identified at LEP areas and a ‘notional’ allocation decided by the Managing Authority

Access to Employment£3.26m

Sustainable In-tegration of

Young People£3.9m

Active Inclusion£9.32mEqual Acces to

Lifelong Learn-ing

£15.89m

Labour Market Relevance of Education and training Sys-

tems£3.33m

ESF allocation for New Anglia (£ 35.7m)

Essential reading

Priorities for New AngliaThematic Objective Priority Axis Investment Priority

8 - Promoting Employment and Supporting labour Mobility 1 - Inclusive

Labour Market

1.1 - Access to employment for job seekers and inactive people, including the long term unemployed and people far from the labour market, also through local employment initiatives and support for labour mobility.

1.2 - Sustainable integration into the labour market of young people, in particular those not in employment, education or training, including young people at risk of social exclusion and young people from marginalised communities, including through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee.

9 - Promoting social inclusion and combatting poverty

1.4 - Active inclusion, including with a view to promoting equal opportunities and active participation and improving employability.

10 - Investing in Education, Skills and Lifelong learning

2 - Skills for Growth

2.1 - Enhancing equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, non-formal and informal settings, upgrading the knowledge, skills and competences of the workforce, and promoting flexible learning pathways including through career guidance and validation of acquired competences.

2.2 - Improving the labour market relevance of education and training systems, facilitating the transition from education to work, and strengthening vocational education and training systems and their quality, including through mechanism for skills anticipation, adaptation of curricula and the establishment and development of work based learning systems, including dual learning systems and apprenticeship schemes.

Current commitment

£0£3,000,000£6,000,000£9,000,000

£12,000,000£15,000,000£18,000,000

Budget Commitment

1.1 - Access to employment for jobseekers and inactive people (£ 2.9m left)• Improve the employability and skills of long-term unemployed or

inactive people and those individuals from groups which face particular labour market disadvantage, to enable them to compete effectively in the labour market;

• Support for women at a disadvantage in the labour market, and those currently inactive, to reduce the gender employment gap;

• Support for specific target groups, including but not limited to those with disabilities or health barriers, those with caring responsibilities, lone parents, ethnic minorities, ex-service personnel and ex-offenders;

• Addressing the issues that result in households experiencing intergenerational worklessness.

1.2 - Sustainable integration into the labour market of young people (£ 1.2m left)• Support for increase in participation amongst 18-24 year olds by

providing additional traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities;• Engagement of marginalised 15-18 year olds to support them to

re-engage with education or training;• Address the basic skills of young NEETs to help them to compete

effectively in the labour market;• Provision of additional work experience and pre-employment

training opportunities to unemployed 18-24 year olds• Support for young lone parents and carers to overcome the

barriers they face in accessing the labour market

1.4 - Active inclusion (£ 4.7m left)

• Support for those people with multiple and complex barriers to participation to address these issues and move closer to or into the labour market;

• Engage with marginalised individuals and provide them with the support needed to re-engage with education, training or into employment;

• Support for the family unit where inter-generational worklessness has become embedded;

• Support for employers who take on the long-terms unemployed or those with multiple or complex barriers.

2.1 - Enhancing equal access to lifelong learning (£ 10.6m left)

• Creating a workforce which is fit for purpose and responsive to the demands and needs of local employers;

• To address the basic skills needs of employed people – particularly in small, medium and micro-sized businesses;

• To increase the skills levels of those in employment to encourage progression;• To increase the number of people with technical and job specific skills to

support business growth and retention of local workforce;• Support for local growth sectors, and engagement of business in identifying

and delivering necessary and appropriate skills provision;• To increase the skills level of employed women to encourage progression and

to help address the gender employment and wage gap;

2.2 - Improving the labour market relevance of education and training systems (£ 2.5m left)• Promote improvements in the labour market relevance of skills

provision through active engagement with relevant institutions and employers, particularly small, medium and micro-sized businesses, including social enterprises;

• Better engagement between business and young people to support the understanding of local sectors and the skills needed to be successful, locally;

• Ensure access to co-ordinated employment pathway opportunities – overcoming issues of rural isolation, transport, access and childcare;

The Journey to Date5 ESF Open Calls published to date in New Anglia

• March 2015 – Investment Priority 1.2 – Greater Ipswich Youth Guarantee £2.47m awarded to Suffolk County Council

• April 2016 – Four Calls (IP’s 1.1, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2) – Grass-roots Community-Led Growth projects

£2.26m across three applicants - Full Applications are being appraised

All Open Calls published on ‘ESIF Funder Finder’ www.gov.uk/european-structural-investment-funds

• 3 SFA Procurements (5 project Lots) • 4 BBO Calls

Future calls

Investment Priority 1.1 – Access to Employment (£2.5m)Integrated employment services to support people not eligible to DWP’s Work and Health Programme. Projects should support participants with (mental) health issues, long term conditions, learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Applicants will be encouraged to work in partnership with local health and wellbeing providers.

Investment Priority 1.2 – Sustainable integration of Young People (£1.2m)Implementation of the Youth Pledge in New Anglia. Every young person must be proposed a job, a training or an apprenticeship within 3 month of leaving education. Projects should fill the gap where there are needs not covered being addressed.

Investment Priority 1.4 – Active Inclusion (£4.7m)Call linked to IP 1.1 but targeting participants with more complex barriers to work

Investment Priority 2.1 – Equal access to lifelong learning (£4m)In work Pay and Progression in the Health and Social Care sector. Applicants will be required to upskill the workforce in the H&SC sector so that the sector can respond to the increasing demand, workers can have better prospects in the sector

Investment Priority 2.2 – Improving the labour market relevance of education and training systems (£0.5m)Youth Pledge for Employer. Applicants should engage with employers for them to sign up to the Youth Pledge Marque which is a commitment to offer job placement, apprenticeship to young people

What makes a good application?

• Projects must demonstrate, evidence and address local needs• All activities must be eligible• Match funding: Applicants must provide 50% of the total eligible

project costs• Projects must deliver additional activities, avoid overlap or

duplication with current and mainstream provision• Deliver against local priorities• Provide value for money

The Facilitator Role

• Maximise the impact of the ESF programme in New Anglia, ensuring it addresses the local needs and priorities

• Develop a pipeline of projects to ensure the 2014-2020 ESF notional allocation is spent in New Anglia

• Act as a lead contact for potential project applicants• Provide guidance on the objectives and targets of the ESF programme, strategic fit,

eligibility, and the application process• Provide ongoing information and advice (“Critical Friend”)• Make linkages between similar offerings• Signpost to other EU funding• Facilitate project development events and workshops and provide networking

opportunities

Facilitators cannot write your bid, manage your project, provide match funding or make fund decisions

Facilitators Contact Details

Joe Ballard – joseph.ballard@norfolk.gov.uk 01603 223258 / 07769 643276European Social Fund Facilitator – Norfolk County Council

Guillaume Gentils – guillaume.gentils@norfolk.gov.uk 01603 222706 / 07785 225257European Social Fund Facilitator – Norfolk County Council