Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme enhancing Social Inclusion

Deadline: 02-Jul-21

Applications are now open for the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme to combat poverty and enhance social inclusion by reducing economic inactivity and to increase the skills base of those currently in work and future potential participants in the workforce.

Aims

This aim is to be realized through:

promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility;
promoting social inclusion and combating poverty and any discrimination; and
investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and life-long learning.

Priorities

The aim of the ESF Programme will be realised through the implementation of four Investment Priorities:

Priority Axis 1 – Access to Employment Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility.
- Thematic Objective 8, Investment Priority i
  - Projects supporting unemployed including long term unemployed participants to access employment
  - Projects supporting economically inactive participants to access employment, education and training.
- Thematic Objective 8, Investment Priority
  - Projects supporting young people aged 16-24 not in employment, education or training integrate into the labour market.
Priority Axis 2 – Social Inclusion Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty and any discrimination.
- Thematic Objective 9, Investment Priority i
  - Enhance social inclusion with projects supporting people with a disability to access employment, education and training.
  - Enhance social inclusion with projects supporting participants not in employment, education or training aged 16 and over within families receiving community family support to access employment, education and training.

Outcomes

Immediate Result Indicators (IRIs): IRIs can manifest in the time span between the day the participant begins the project (their “entry date”) and any time up to 4 weeks after they leave (their “exit date”). However these results will only be counted as part of the performance monitoring process when an exit date is entered.
Long Term Result Indicators (LTRIs): The LTRI capture information on participants who are employed, including selfemployed 6 months after they have left the project. LTRIs are required to be collected by all thematic objectives, regardless of whether the relevant projects have letter of offer targets in this area.
Supported employment: Supported employment refers to employment in a regular working environment where people with disabilities or other working limitations are enabled through public support (financial or otherwise) to work alongside able-bodied employees. Supported employment covers measures that aim to promote the labour market integration of persons with reduced working capacity through supported employment. Persons with reduced working capacity refers primarily to those registered as disabled according to national definitions.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for support from the ESF Programme, under any Investment Priority, an individual must be legally able to reside and work in the UK and must be of minimum school leaving age.
Any organisation can apply for funding, either public or private which is legally formed, except sole traders.
To be eligible for support from the ESF Programme, under any of the 4 thematic objectives, an individual must be legally able to reside and work in the United Kingdom.

For more information, visit https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/esf