Smaller towns in the North West such as Darwen, Burnley, Blackburn, Blackpool and Morecambe have high levels of deprivation and unemployment, and many towns have large ethnic minority communities, which has influenced delivery of ESF funding in the North West. Intraining in Blackpool, for instance, is focused on outreach engagement activity to engage with those groups not already taking up services, or who are suspicious of mainstream provision.

The Lake District is a large rural area with green, leisure and tourism opportunities. There is interesting climate change work happening in the GreenWays to Work innovation project, which seeks to bring together a number of elements to benefit the community, economy and environment, as well as bringing new skills to housing officers.

The flexibility offered to Merseyside, as a phasing-in area, to complete its transition from Objective 1 status, led to the development there of a Complementary Strand of ESF in 2007-2010. Partners in Merseyside worked together to ensure that the Complementary Strand not only supported the delivery of key ESF priorities and targets for the North West, but also complemented other investments being made by the Skills Funding Agency, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), local authorities and other Government departments.

The focus of the Complementary Strand is innovation and testing new ways of working with both local employers and unemployed people. Specific projects examples include; The Liverpool JET, an information, advice and guidance service with a strong outreach engagement ethos and tested partnerships and links with local organisations designed to support those with multiple barriers to employment. MySignpost, a live online directory of employment, skills and specialist support provision that equips advisers, employers and the wider community with information and ways to access help to progress in work, life and learning.

ESF's presence in the North West for the remainder of the programme will be dominated by Jobcentre Plus and the Skills Funding Agency's new programmes. National Offender Management Service (NOMS )will continue to deliver offender-related provision in the area, while the innovation strand includes:

• Age NC, a project enhancing and prolonging people's working lives in Lancashire
• The Graduate Employability Support Programme, which supports new graduates in Cumbria
• Working Better in Merseyside, a project that supports those with an illness or potential illness into employment.