Regional European Social Fund Frameworks: A case study evaluation
The England and Gibraltar Operational Programme (OP) outlines a single programme which establishes national European Social Fund (ESF) priorities in line with the Lisbon Agenda and the Government's employment and skills strategies. Within this framework of national priorities, ESF has the flexibility to address regional employment and skills needs. The policy mechanism to enable the programme to address distinctive regional employment and skills issues is the Regional ESF Framework (REF).
The aim of the research, based upon five case study regions – East of England, London, South West, Convergence Area (Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) and the North West – was to evaluate the extent to which the REFs (2007-10) address regional employment and skills needs and inform the plans of the regional Co-Financing Organisation (CFOs) which include the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Learning and Skills Councils and some Regional Development Agencies and local authorities.
The research identified that in all case study areas the Regional Skills Partnership (RSP)worked closely with key stakeholders, with Government Offices playing a major role in the process to develop the REF. The REFs also recognised the dynamic and emergent employment and skills policy context at the national, regional and local levels and stakeholders felt that the REFs helped to make strategic connections with regional strategies.
The CFOs in all the case study areas report that the REF, and the scrutiny applied to their Plans by the regional stakeholders through for example the RSP, the regional steering group and/or the Regional Monitoring Committee has ensured that CFO Plans reflect both the regional strategic context and the interests of ESF.
A review of the REFs and the CFO Plans along with the qualitative data collected through the stakeholder interviews suggests that the REFs address the target groups and activities outlined in the OP. The stakeholders in each case study area generally suggest that the cross cutting issues have been dealt with adequately by the REFs and CFO Plans.
The research found that in future funding rounds it will be important to retain a long-term view when economic conditions are unfavourable in the short-term (including cross cutting issues and complementarity) and to reconcile national-regional interests and the regional preference for more flexibility.
The case study research also identifies some potential changes and areas of good practice to be built upon in the development of future frameworks for 2010-2013 including establishing a clear link between the evidence, analysis, and targeting of ESF funded activities and clear vertical connections between the OP, Regional Strategies and local policy instruments, e.g City Employment Strategies, Local Area Agreements.
This report is part-funded by ESF technical assistance.
(281KB)