1. Evaluating the effects of ESF programmes
Project co-financed by European Social Fund
Evaluating the effects of ESF programmes
Polish experience

2. The evaluation study
“Evaluation of values achieved for result indicators of the regional component of the Human Capital Operational Programme”

3. Programme
Human Capital Operational Programme (HCOP) EUR
10 priority axes, 94 measures or sub-measures, more than projects
Delivery system structure: 1 MA, 19 IB’s, 22 second level IB’s

4. Scope of the evaluation study
HC OP
Central component (31%)
Regional component (65%)
Technical Assistance (4%)
Priority VI (21%)
Priority VII (14%)
Priority VIII (14%)
Unemployed ( participants)
Unemployed or inactive
( participants)
Employed or unemployed ( participants)

5. Scope of the evaluation study
LLL projects
6.1.1
6.3
8.1.1
Priority VI (21%)
Priority VII (14%)
Priority VIII (14%)
Unemployed ( participants)
Unemployed or inactive
( participants)
Employed or unemployed ( participants)
Employability
Social inclusion
Upgrading skills

6. Methodology CATI (N=2394) CATI (N=2102) CATI (N=3629) CATI (N=2014)
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
FGI
FGI, ITI
FGI
CIE
case studies

7. Selected findings

8. % of ESF participants who entered employment

9. % of working ESF participants who received education or training in the preceding 4 weeks
18 months after the participants left their projects

10. % of employed ESF participants with fixed-term contracts
18 months after the participants left their projects

11. ESF-funded training and job quality

12. ESF-funded training and job quality
18 months after the participants left their projects

13. ESF-funded training and job quality
Qualitative research: focus group interviews with trained employees, in-depth telephone interviews with their superiors.
Participation in training usually does not bring about a promotion or an increase in salary, but:
It helps to develop soft skills and self-confidence;
It increases job satisfaction;
It makes the employer consider the employee active and ambitious.

14. Taking up education or training
18 months after the participants left their projects

15. Taking up education or training
18 months after the participants left their projects

16. “Thanks to the project, I’d like to go on with learning, to acquire new skills”
2012: 6 months after the participants left their projects

17. “Thanks to the project, I’d like to go on with learning, to acquire new skills”
2012: 6 months after the participants left their projects

18. Conclusions
Jobs found by unemployed ESF participants offer few opportunities for lifelong learning.
Employee trainings help to improve soft skills, job satisfaction and image, but rarely bring about salary increases.
ESF support seems to increase some participants’ motivation to go on with learning.

19. Counterfactual impact evaluation

20. Counterfactual impact evaluation
Participants – unemployed on entry to the programme.
Obstacles:
Decentralised database system
Restricted access to personal data
Lack of non-personal ID common for unemployment registers and ESF participant registers

21. Counterfactual impact evaluation
CATI survey among participants
Construct a comparison group of non-participants (PSM)
CATI survey among non-participants
Contact data of the unemployed from Powiat Labour Office registers

22. Counterfactual impact evaluation
Sample of ESF participants
CATI survey
(N=1014)
Comparison group
Data from unemployment registers
(N=1014)
Measured: impact on likelihood of being in registered unemployment.
reliable data
comparable data

23. Impact of the ESF (PSM + DiD adjustment)
Net
impact:
-8 p.p.

24. Impact of the ESF (PSM + DiD adjustment)
Positive net impact for women, no statistically significant impact for men
In the short run (6 months after leaving the programme) both men and women benefit from start-up grants, but only women benefit from training and counselling

25. Thank you!
Paweł Penszko