John Hacking – Network for Europe

 Introduction to Programmes  EU Funding and Young People ◦ - ESIF Funds (ESF/ERDF) ◦ -ERASMUS+  Q and A/Discussion/Exchange

 Smart  Sustainable  Inclusive

 The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF),  The European Social Fund (ESF)  The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)  Have been brought together into a single ‘EU Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme’

European Structural and Investment Funds

 ESF is there to support people at a disadvantage in the labour market;  ERDF is aimed at enterprises, including social enterprises and infrastructure investment  EAFRD combines support for people, small businesses and infrastructure in rural areas.  ESF will focus on the two main priorities:  Inclusive Labour Markets  Skills for Growth.

Inclusive Labour Markets  This will support projects working with unemployed people and the economically inactive  young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs)  Active Inclusion targeting those furthest from the labour market with multiple barriers to engagement

Skills for Growth  This will support projects delivering:  training (formal and informal), advice and guidance focussing primarily on basic and intermediate skills  improving employer participation and engagement in learning so that it is responsive to the needs of the local economy and more individuals’ progress into or within learning – this is mainly about improving partnerships and systems.

 Voluntary partnerships between local authorities and businesses formed in 2011 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to help determine local economic priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within its local area  There are 39 LEPs  5 in the NW

2 routes for making funding available: ‘calls’ or ‘Opt-Ins’  Call: open invitation for applicants to submit proposals against a published specification issued by the Managing Authority  Opt-in: a procurement process undertaken by the Opt-In organisations working with LEPs  For ESF programmes delivered through Opt-in organisations, applications will go through the Opt-in Organisations who will be responsible for procuring ESF activity  Opt in organisations include ◦ DWP ◦ Skills Funding Agency ◦ Big Lottery Fund ◦ National Offender Management Service

What Are Opt-Ins?  They are national public bodies or equivalent to national public bodies.  They fulfil their statutory functions in relation to one or more of the activities described in the Operational Programme.  They have sufficient eligible match funding for an agreed duration within the time period of the Operational Programme.  They have sufficient infrastructure and expertise to carry out the duties.  The providers which will receive support from the European Social Fund are selected in accordance with open and competitive selection procedures.

Opt-Ins  About 80% of ESF will be spent through Opt-Ins  All will have different procurement/grant routes  DWP/SFA will be a procurement route similar to the current programme.  SFA wont have Minimum Level of Contracting  SFA will use ACTOR (Bravo) for most Adult Provision  SFA will have 2 or 3 procurement ‘rounds’ a year. Depending on LEP needs.

Opportunities for VCS to Get Access to Funds VCS Providers could access as: ◦ Lead providers ◦ Sub contractors ◦ Other supply chain provision ◦ Partnership ◦ Consortium

 Youth Employment Initiative  Only available in LCR in the NW (c.£27m)  Calls already out. Projects start in New Year.  For further information about applicants contact NFE.  Participants in YEI provision must be NEET (not in employment, education or training), aged 15 to 29 and be residing in an area eligible for the initiative.(LCR)  Full time students are not eligible for YEI support.

 Definitions of YP within ESIF?  Perfectly clear..  It is usually under 25 and 15 or over (from the EU Structural Fund Regulations).  Written into the English ESF OP UK have used under 30 for the YEI.(more later)  But UK have restricted 15 year olds to at risk of NEET. (More later)  School leaving age varies across Europe (as does starting age)

NEETs  Specific Objective in ESF Programme  Headline Objective is :  “More young people are in education, employment or training, and fewer young people are NEET or at risk of being NEET” (ESF Operational Programme England)  Each LEP will have specific activities for this element of their ESIF plan.  All ESIF plans for the 5 NW LEPS can be found here ESIF PlansESIF Plans

 additional literacy, numeracy, ICT and employability provision;  training and vocational qualifications;  community and informal learning that help people access more formal learning;  intermediate labour market activity;  using self-employment as a route out of worklessness, including providing advice and support for self-employment.  These will appear in various forms in individual ESIF plans.

 Erasmus+  Erasmus + is the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport.  It combines seven programmes from the period, namely the Long Life Learning programme (LLP), the Youth in action programme and five international cooperation programmes.  It runs for seven years, from 2014 to 2020, with organisations invited to apply for funding each year to undertake creative and worthwhile activities.

 It aims to modernise education, training and youth work across Europe.  It is open to education, training, youth and sport organisations across all sectors of lifelong learning, including school education, further and higher education, adult education and the youth sector.  More information here Erasmus + In The UKErasmus + In The UK

 The programme covers all sectors of lifelong learning including higher education, vocational education and training, schools, adult education as well as youth and sport.  Erasmus+ is open to a wide range of organisations across all sectors of education, training and youth.  Any public, private or non-profit organisation actively involved in these areas can apply for funding through the Erasmus+ programme.  For example, schools, higher education institutions (HEIs), further education colleges, adult education providers, youth organisations, charities, enterprises etc, as well as informal groups of young people.  The next “deadline will be a Call for Proposals early 2016.