076/22 Publication of England 2014-2020 European Social Fund (ESF) Programme national evaluation reports
Updated 5 December 2024
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Who should read
ESF Programme stakeholders including: Grant Recipients, Co-Financing Organisations, the ESF Managing Authority, Greater London Authority, Intermediate Bodies, Local Enterprise Partnership areas, Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) projects.
Purpose
This Action Note informs ESF programme stakeholders about the publication of three research reports from the national evaluation of the England 2014-2020 Programme. The reports include findings from the ESF and YEI participant leavers survey, qualitative research at case study sites and a full impact evaluation of the YEI. They have been published as part of the Department for Work and Pensions research series.
Background
The three evaluations of the national ESF 2014-2020 programme published on 2nd March 2022 are:
These evaluation reports represent a substantive body of evidence about the effectiveness, impact, and value for money of the first half of the 2014-2020 ESF programme, including the YEI.
Research was conducted over a 4-year period from 2016 to the end of 2019 and used a range of methods including data analysis, participant surveys, in-depth interviews and focus groups with staff and participants from projects across the ESF Programme Investment Priorities. The YEI report also includes impact analysis and cost-benefit analysis to quantify the additional benefit and value that the YEI provided compared with a counterfactual (such as, what benefits would have been realised over and above a world without YEI).
It should be noted that the research for all three evaluation reports was completed just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and so the results do not reflect subsequent effects on the management and delivery of the ESF Programme and the labour market more generally.
Key findings
Overall, the evidence strongly suggests that the ESF Programme has been effective so far in meeting its objectives to support people to move closer to, or into work, or to be sustained or progress in-work, through its focus on employment, skills and social inclusion measures.
Projects felt that the programme has been highly effective in its outreach activities to identify and engage with participants, many of whom face additional disadvantages. On the whole, programme design and delivery was perceived as working well, driven by effective local partnership working and continuity from previous programmes, though some projects felt that eligibility and evidence requirements adversely impacted on delivery.
Looking at programme outcomes, survey evidence shows that more than half (53 per cent) of individuals were in employment six months after leaving the programme compared with less than three in ten (29 per cent) at entry. Of those in work on joining ESF, three in ten (31 per cent) had experienced an improvement in their situation.
Improvements in soft skills such as confidence, motivation and communication skills as a result of receiving ESF provision were widely reported, and participation appears to have greatly increased participants’ optimism about finding employment.
One of the key reasons for the effectiveness of ESF has been identified as the provision of personalised wrap-around support delivered through a keyworker that enables participants to address barriers that are preventing them from working. Features such as flexibility of provision, having a consistent point of contact and time to build relationships were cited as key differences between ESF funded programmes and other support that participants may have experienced.
Youth Employment Initiative specific findings
The YEI appeared to be particularly effective with more than 44 per cent of participants who were not in education, employment or training on joining ESF, in employment six months after leaving and a further 16 per cent in education or training. The analysis also shows that when compared with a similarly matched group of young people not on YEI, participants were on average in employment for an additional 56 days in the twelve months following support. This represents a moderate but positive social return on investment of between £1.50 and 1.55 per £1 spent, though this is likely to be a minimum estimate, with the true value being higher if outcomes are tracked over a longer period.
Future evaluation
The Department for Work and Pensions ESF Evaluation Team will continue to gather evidence from the second half of the England ESF 2014-2020 Programme to assess its overall impact.
Acknowledgements
The Evaluation Team would like to thank the projects, participants and Managing Authority staff who took part in the research; and the staff and teams at IFF Research and Ecorys who conducted the research.
Action
This Action Note provides a summary of main findings from the three ESF evaluation reports published in March 2022 by the DWP ESF Evaluation Team. If you would like more information you can access each of the reports through the website links provided above.
Contact
If you have any questions about this Action Note please contact ESF.EVALUATIONS@DWP.GOV.UK