Following publication of European Social Fund (ESF) calls for proposals by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) the South East LEP held an launch event for organisations planning to bid for funding to deliver a range of projects aimed at economic growth attended by nearly 100 people from various organisations; local authorities, the voluntary sector, training providers and colleagues.
Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)
Representatives from the DWP outlined the overall EU growth programme, setting the scene for their resourcing for growth across a the range of their funding streams, their current calls for ESF funding (part of a £2.9bn programme) and the important themes they are wishing to address, the economic and social benefits.
The DWP also spoke about existing pre-supply match funding opportunities as well project management and funding agreements to emphasise value for money and standards around national priorities.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) ESF calls
Themes of calls:
1.1 Skills Support for Unemployed (SSU)
1.2 NEET (15-24)
1.4 Community Grants
2.1 Skills Support for the Workforce / Redundancy
South East LEP (SELEP)
SELEP recapped on their overal EU funded programme and introduced further the recently published ESFA ESF calls for proposals. We have a £161m EU funded programme running from 2014 to 2020 made up of:
- European Social Fund (£71.6m)
- European Regional Development Fund (£74.1m)
- European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (£14.5m).
Approximately £50m of this ESF allocation is now delivery projects addressing:
- Basic and higher level skills
- Near work opportunities
- Youth employment
- Social inclusion
“The level of interest and engagement we have seen around this funding has been brilliant. It shows both the need and amount of experience that exists to deliver meaningful support and opportunities for people at various levels of need and capability.
These latest ESF calls have great benefits for our local economy and for our communities in the very near future and we are thrilled to be able to work with partners to deliver significant and relevant interventions of benefit to the individual and to the wider economy.” Louise Aitken, Skills Lead, South East LEP