The 47 ESF funded providers secured a total of £315
million through a stringent procurement process, which
adhered to EU rules of open, fair and competitive
tendering, and was conducted in accordance with the
Public Contract Regulations 2015.
The ESF helps people get better jobs and ensures fairer
job opportunities for all EU citizens. It works by
investing in Europe’s workers, young people and all
those seeking a job.
From 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2021, the 47 ESF
providers, spread across England, will work in local
communities to increase participation in education,
training and employment.
They will do this by developing the skills of potential
and existing workforces and by supporting young people
into education. The focus will be on those who find it
hard to engage in education and training and in areas
with higher rates of youth unemployment.
We invited bidders to tender against four opportunities
in ESF investment priority areas:
- Access to employment for jobseekers and inactive
people - including the long-term unemployed and people
far from the labour market, through local employment
initiatives and support for labour mobility
- Sustainable integration of young people into the
labour market
- Active inclusion
- Equal access to lifelong learning for all age
groups in formal, non-formal and informal settings to
upgrade their knowledge, skills and competencies for
the workforce, by promoting flexible pathways including
careers guidance and validation of acquired
competencies
