ESF NEWS

1. CFO Bidding Timetable
2. London Skills and Employment Board
3. LSC Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD)
4. ESF Inspections – be ready!!!

1. CFO Bidding Timetable (subject to change)

Learning and Skills Councils

ESF funding for 2007-2013

LSC London region has launched Invitations to tender (ITTs) under the 2007 – 2010 ESF programmes for the Youth area. These tenders are open to organizations that passed the Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) under the 2007 & 2008 rounds. Initial analysis of the result of the first round shows that 38% of the funding has been allocated to Third Sector providers;[ this figure does not include partner organisations. ]

Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)

European Social Fund: DWP ESF Tender Opportunity

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is offering organisations the opportunity to compete, through an open and competitive one stage tendering process, for delivery of provision funded via the European Social Fund Programme 2007-2013 in the 2 districts of SOUTH LONDON and WEST LONDON .

All providers needed to register an expression of interest by Monday 30 June 2008. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/supplyingdwp/what_we_buy/esf_london_230608.asp .

London Councils

Through the London Councils European Social Fund Co-financing programme, London Councils has just awarded £7,385,981 million over 2 years to 33 organisations in the voluntary and community sector.

The list of 2008-2010 projects has now been published and can be accessed here

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/London%20Councils/webtableoffundedgroups20082010.pdf

London Councils is planning to launch its next tendering round for ESF in autumn 2009.

London Development Agency (CFO)

The 1st prospectus was worth a total of £20.26m (ESF & match), with £17.2m supporting activities under Priority 1.1 and £3.06m for activity under Priority 2.1 of the programme (Increasing the number of employees with Basic Skills needs). The LDA received 330 applications for funding. 41 delivery partners have been selected to receive funding to delivery projects under the LDA ESF Co-Financing Programme 2007 to 2010. The majority of projects came from the voluntary and community sector. Projects will run for two years. This does not include projects for the Personal Best Programme.

The LDA intends to launch the second round of funding in Autumn/Winter 2008 for £20m of funding. This will be informed by the recently launched London Skills and Employment Board (LSEB) strategy. Once launched Prospectus 2, application form and formal guidance will be available from the LDA site. A full list of successful organisations will be published on the LDA website shortly at- http://www.lda.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.2163

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2. London Skills and Employment Board

The London Skills and Employment Board (LSEB) was established to provide leadership in improving adult skills and employment in London .

The LSEB is chaired by the Mayor of London and is employer-led to ensure that its work is driven by the needs of employers and that skills provision meets the existing and future needs of the London workforce.

In early 2008, the LSEB will deliver a long-term strategy, based on research and evidence, focusing on improving skills in London and on identifying ways of tackling worklessness, leading the drive to equip Londoners to compete in the job market.

Skills and Employment in London : Proposals for the London Skills and Employment Board's Strategy

In October 2007 the Board released Skills and Employment in London : Proposals for the London Skills and Employment Board's Strategy for public consultation.

Skills and Employment in London: Proposals for the London Skills and Employment Board's Strategy PDF only

The LVSTC response to the strategy

The London Skills and Employment Board [LSEB] web site

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3. LSC Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD)

The LSC has produced a draft strategy setting out goals for how the way in which they work with people with LLDD will change in coming years. The strategy is at consultation stage at the moment and the LSC would be keen to hear what the voluntary sector has to say on it.

[full version] A Draft Strategy for Learners with Learning Difficulties/Disabilities

[easy to read] A Draft Strategy for Learners with Learning Difficulties/Disabilities

If you would like contribute to the consultation please go to http://www.livelearnwork.org/

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4. ESF Inspections – be ready!!!

Inspections for ESF providers will begin in London in the autumn of 2007. A number of ESF providers with contracts from LSCs and Jobcentreplus will be selected. The new inspectorate, New Ofsted was formed in April 2007 from an amalgamation of Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate [ALI.]

Inspections of other regions have already taken place and provide an excellent guide and source of information for prospective inspections in the next few months. Two key issues arising from previous inspections have already emerged;

• Soft outcomes [distance travelled] systems were poorly recorded and data (management formation) was often underused.

• The concept of ‘quality improvement’ in training provision was not really understood.

LVSTC is here to provide you with a range of training, information, signposting and support through the process - so get in touch!

• ESF Inspection FAQs and Q&A page – [your questions answered by Ofsted]
  
  
• Download the ALI ESF Inspection report for the East England Region
  

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