The Coalition Government is moving fast to put its radical plans for welfare to work, the Work Programme, in place. To be delivered through eleven Frameworks (the nine English regions, plus Scotland and Wales), a limited number of consortia able to bid for delivery of what could be a £3bn programme.
Potential consortia for delivery of the Work Programme, have been asked to submit expressions of interest by the end of July. The notice inviting expressions of interest says that the Framework may also include contracts that may attract ESF support. Existing and potential ESF providers should be aware of this deadline and its implications for future commissioning - more details of the Government's announcements can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions web site.
Contracting rounds for other CFOs, including the Skills Funding Agency and local authorities, will be announced later this year and ESF Works will be supporting the process by disseminating useful information, resources and good practice examples - visit the Regions homepage for summaries of the newly revised regional frameworks.
Look out for more news on this in the coming weeks, including opportunities to engage with policy makers, comment on lessons and hear more about what the Work Programme will mean for employment services in England, and for ESF.
