The England and Gibraltar ESF 2007-2013 mid-programme conference, was held on Wednesday 17 November 2010 at Villa Park, Birmingham.

The conference:

  • celebrated the successes of the first half of the programme; and
  • discussed effective practice and how it could inform the delivery of ESF projects and improve outcomes in the second half of the programme.

Highlights included:

Video message from Chris Grayling MP, Minister for Employment

You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.


The voice of ESF participants - the most important people in ESF

You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.


DG Employment Director Peter Stub Jorgensen

A keynote speech from DG Employment Director Peter Stub Jorgensen, who emphasised the importance of Europe 2020 and the firm endorsement given to it by the European Council, providing the clearest ever strategic roadmap for Europe's future development. A challenging target has been set to achieve a 75% employment rate by 2020 Europe wide, compared to less than 70% at present. Peter spoke highly of the achievement of the UK ESF programmes, stating they were amongst the best performing in Europe, and anticipated ESF's continued contribution to employment growth in England.

Resources: Europe 2020; interview

DWP Head of Provision Management Derek French

DWP Head of Provision Management Derek French's speech on welfare reform, the Work Programme and ESF. Derek highlighted the growing importance of ESF, as one of what will be only three key government employment programmes (alongside the Work Programme and Work Choice). Identifying a number of challenges for the next period, Derek recognised the importance of prime employment service contractors working ever more closely with the small, local organisations best able to reach priority target groups, and pointed to DWP's intention to insist on full and active participation of all sectors and scales in future contracts - to be guaranteed through the Merlin Standard.

Resources: Derek French presentation; The Merlin Standard

You need Flash player 8+ and JavaScript enabled to view this video.


Mainstreaming Leader Awards

Presentation of the first ever Mainstreaming Leader awards for equal opportunities and sustainable development in ESF. With the Commission challenging the UK to improve its performance in tackling gender issues in ESF, and with the clamour for new green jobs, the Mainstreaming Leader award winners gave inspiring examples of how to make real progress in these important areas of the programme.

Simon Marlow, Head of DWP ESF Evaluation Team

Presentation from Simon Marlow, Head of DWP ESF Evaluation Team, on the evaluation findings from 2007-2010 and lessons. With increasing interest in new ways of delivering welfare to work services, ESF offers valuable lessons for both policy-makers and practitioners, which the national evaluation programme is designed to capture. Simon summarised findings from the ESF participant cohort survey, studies of equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming, and in-work training. Lessons emerging from evaluation of the current programme include:

  • recognition that ESF has been flexible during the recession, but that there is a need now to refocus more onto the longer-term unemployed and economically inactive
  • the need to address how providers can be incentivised to get additional outcomes
  • the need for better understanding of the process by which people are referred to and engaged with ESF provision
  • explores how innovation can continue in the more centralised contracting regime.

Workshop sessions

- Working with offenders and ex-offenders

- Mainstreaming equal opportunities

- In-work training

- Older workers

- Digital divide

- Young people - NEET

- Social enterprise

- Green jobs and the low carbon economy

- Community grants

- Long-term unemployed and disadvantaged groups