Introduction ESF programme 2014 – 2020 Update and information event for stakeholders / partners

Introduction “Second half” of the ESF programme now to be procured c. £29m still to commit by March 2019 Projects funded for up to 3 years LEP has support team in place to help with development work Pat Jackson pat.jackson@871candwep.co.uk Francis Lee francis.lee@871candwep.co.uk Tim Smith tim.smith@warringtonandco.com Roz Atherton roz.atherton@skillsandgrowth.co.uk Helen Woollacott helen.woollacott@skillsandgrowth.co.uk David Brennan davidjsbrennan@gmail.com

Introduction Second half of the ESF programme – what's new/different ? Co-financing via the ESFA or DWP not now an option – so activity will be procured via ‘open calls’ Match will need to be sourced locally and be eligible Direct calls will mean projects will need to operate ‘actual costs’ similar to the New Leaf project. Projects will need to develop teams who will need to know about ESF procurement/claims/audit requirements and expertise on ESF compliance.

Priority Axes The uncommitted c£29m sits within the European Social Fund (ESF) allocation across two Priority Axes Priority Axis (PA) 1 Inclusive Labour Markets (circa £13m) -aims to increase participation in the labour market and improve social inclusion and mobility. Priority Axis (PA) 2 Skills for Growth (circa £16m) - aims to support skills for growth The Priority Axes are further broken down into smaller activity areas known as Investment Priorities (IPs)

Investment Priorities Investment Priority Activity to be supported ESF budget remaining IP 1.1 Access to Employment for Jobseekers and Inactive People £7.4m IP 1.2 Sustainable Integration of Young People £2.5m IP 1.4 Active Inclusion £2.9m IP 2.1 Enhancing Equal Access to Lifelong Learning £14.8m IP 2.2 Improving the Labour Market Relevance of Education and Training Systems £1.1m

for Jobseekers and Inactive People Investment Priority 1.1 Access to Employment for Jobseekers and Inactive People Claimant Count (March 2018) C East 3,440 + CWAC 3,960 + W’ton 3,165 = 10,565 (26% are aged 50+) ESA WRAG “where work is feasible in the short to medium term” (Aug 2017) C East 1,550 + CWAC 1,790 + W’ton 1,280 = 4,620 (47% of ESA claimants have “mental and behavioural disorders”) Joined-up packages of support needed to identify and tackle various barriers Must work in partnership to complement, not compete with, other provision, including support for those not accessing Work and Health Programme Alignment with C&W SEP key sectors and other identified recruitment need Visible presence in local areas of deprivation; effective coverage for rural areas Part of inward investment / new development offer Support for those affected by redundancy

Sustainable Integration of Young People Investment Priority 1.2 Sustainable Integration of Young People This IP focuses on supporting young people – those aged 15-25 years so the main focus is to find and engage these young people so they can benefit from the support on offer. Activities that could be supported : Provision of tailored support to young people who are NEET or at risk of NEET; i.e. those young who are disengaged from mainstream activity. Supporting young people to acquire skills needed by our growth sector employers or to help them into self-employment. Provide opportunities to link learning to work experience. Provide support and a range of soft skills to overcome the barriers to engagement.

Investment Priority 1.4 Active Inclusion This IP focuses on support that address activity where there are gaps in provision for disadvantaged groups. Activities that could be supported : Activity to tackle inactivity by helping disadvantaged groups overcome barriers and improve their employability and move towards employment. Focus on workless households, including the potential to work through local authority partnerships delivering the extended Troubled Families programme. Activity could work with employers to help integrate people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and other disadvantaged groups, into the workplace.

Investment Priority 2.1 Skills for Growth Groups of employers (by sector or geography) working together with training, skills development and education providers Strong focus on STEM, digital skills and key sectors in the C&W SEP Independent and impartial skills brokers to work alongside the Growth Hub and assist employers in articulating their aggregated demand for skills Distance learning and blended learning Skills for new technologies Generic training packages that can be tailored to different businesses or sectors Grant funding towards the cost of (primarily accredited) learning for employees An information and communications hub that will develop and provide information on the C&W labour market and employers’ skills needs Work with an employer-led board, which will establish the operational priorities in the context of the SEP and the LEP’s Employers’ Skills and Education Board

Improving the Labour Market Relevance Investment Priority 2.2 Improving the Labour Market Relevance of Education and Training Systems Employer involvement in activities that showcase career pathways and progression opportunities Inspiring activities delivered by employers, focusing on priority sectors and highlighting new technologies Employer co-delivery of essential work skills for young people in schools and colleges Skills development outside the normal environment for young people in years 10 to 13, including transition from school to T levels and Apprenticeships Development of a network of Enterprise Advisers to act as the link between employers, schools, colleges and other education providers Support for employers to develop and offer work experience, Apprenticeship and job opportunities Employers working with schools, colleges and other providers to support the design and delivery of the curriculum Establish an employer-led board to give strategic guidance, and 5 to 10 local employer-led operational steering groups

Timescales and Bidding Process LEP inputs the “local priorities” section on the call template document DWP publishes the calls, receives and assesses the applications Calls will be published on https://www.gov.uk/european-structural-investment-funds LEPs are awaiting information from DWP on timings It is unlikely that all C&W calls will be launched at the same time Typical bidding period is up to 12 weeks Could be Outline then Full Application, or straight to Full Application – case by case basis according to need, urgency, readiness etc Assessment will be done by DWP (with some input from the LEP and ESIF Cttee)

Consortium Bids from the DWP call template – “NOTE: LEP Leads should seek to maximise the ESF value of any new calls, either by joining together activities under the same IP or considering dual IP calls. This is to help manage the volume of ESF applications and subsequent projects, achieve economies of scale for projects and encourage consortia or other types of joined-up, partnership based bids.” “Applications are encouraged from consortia or other similar types of partnership arrangements. In each such case the application must be submitted by a lead organisation on behalf of the partnership/consortia and the lead applicant must have the financial capacity to meet the required Due Diligence criteria.”

Group Discussion Do the suggested activities and target groups align with the needs and demands of the area? Sources of match funding? Lessons learned from current projects? Appropriate delivery models and partnership arrangements to maximise spend on project activity, and to avoid displacement or duplication?

Open Session Networking and partnership arrangements