ESF EVALUATION PARTNERSHIP MEETING - 16 NOVEMBER 2012 EXPERT EVALUATION NETWORK: ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT KEY FINDINGS AND ISSUES PROFESSOR ALAN MCGREGOR ESF EVALUATION PARTNERSHIP MEETING - 16 NOVEMBER 2012

THE PROCESS Network of experts covering all 27 Member States 27 Country Reports produced around standard set of issues and questions Synthesis Reports generating descriptive information, findings and issues across Member States on key themes Today feeding back on Access to Employment Currently working on Social Inclusion

ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT: KEY FINDINGS Across 27 Member States, big numbers for Access to Employment Around €23 billion committed Over 12.5 million final recipients supported Over 2.4 million final recipients achieved an employment result, but little evidence on sustainability of employment Key constraints on effective implementation included Impact of economic crisis on labour market opportunities Management and administrative issues associated with ESF generally Poor design of some key areas of intervention Factors helping effective implementation included Opportunity to refocus Operational Programmes after recession Good quality staffing, systems and management arrangements National Employment Service with strong capacity

ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT: KEY FINDINGS (CONT) Key Learning Points Widespread view that in current labour market clients with multiple disadvantages need more intensive and/or lengthy interventions More disadvantaged also need better access to services complementing Access to Employment – to deal with issues around mental health etc Emerging understanding of value of key worker/personal adviser working closely with final recipients on one to one basis More support needed for final recipients after they enter employment, particularly given weak labour market

ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT: KEY FINDINGS (CONT) Good practice identified in some Member States in relation to Engaging with harder to reach priority groups Customising activities to meet needs of individuals Designing interventions to reflect needs and assets of priority groups Engaging effectively with employers Building strong partnerships between agencies and beneficiary organisations

ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT: KEY FINDINGS (CONT) Evidence on Community Added Value Volume effects - most common as numbers unemployed have increased and Member State budgets have declined Scope effects - important in some countries in terms of help for specific groups and more labour intensive interventions Role effects - result in innovation, but were less common Process effects - more likely to be mentioned in newer Member States around development of national employment and skills agencies

SOME ISSUES On the evaluation evidence base: Despite importance of Access to Employment, evaluation evidence is often fragmented and lacking robustness On simple indicators for Access to Employment, such as initial job entry, currently too much dependence on exit data supplied by beneficiary organisations Access to Employment evaluations need to place more weight on providing robust information on Community Added Value On a key policy issue arising from evaluation evidence: With rising numbers of unemployed and greater pressure on budgets, big challenge for ESF around balance between helping those closer to and further from labour market More evaluation evidence needed around this specific issue to guide policy makers