European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative 2021 to 2023 Leavers Survey Report
This report provides findings from the European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative Leavers Survey covering participants in the period 2021 to 2023.
Documents
Details
The European Social Fund (ESF) 2014 to 2020 programme in England was part of the European Union’s (EU) Structural and Investment Funds set up to support growth and jobs across the EU. The programme aimed to deliver against investment priorities defined by the European Commission (EC) to increase labour market participation, promote social inclusion and develop the skills of the potential and existing workforce.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was Managing Authority for the programme in England. As part of the Withdrawal Agreement agreed between the UK government and the EU in 2020, England remained a member of the programme until its closure at the end of 2023. Separate programme operated in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This report forms part of a wider evaluation of the programme in England which aims to assess the programme’s effectiveness, impact and efficiency. It was commissioned by DWP to collect outcome data used to calculate results indicators required by the EC and to provide wider evidence about the experiences of participants who had recently left work-related courses or projects funded by the ESF.
The research was part funded by the European Social Fund.
Contribution to the evidence base
This report is one of seven reports published on GOV.UK which completes a body of evidence about the effectiveness, impact and value for money of the ESF 2014 to 2020 programme in England. These are:
- Impact evaluation of the European Social Fund 2014 to 2020 programme in England
- European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative Leavers Survey Report 2016-2019 – GOV.UK
- Evaluation of the European Social Fund 2014 to 2020 Programme in England: qualitative case study research – GOV.UK
- Youth Employment Initiative – Impact Evaluation – GOV.UK
- Youth Employment Initiative: process evaluation – GOV.UK
- European Social Fund impact evaluation: research design and scoping study – GOV.UK
Research value
The evaluation provides a legacy evidence base for informing the design of future employment and skills programmes for those furthest from the labour market and have been used to inform development of future domestic contracted and devolved employment support.