Guidance

European Social Fund 2014 to 2020 programme: 2023 booklet

Updated 28 November 2023

© Crown copyright 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-social-fund-case-studies/european-social-fund-2014-to-2020-programme-2023-booklet

1. Introduction 

The 2014 to 2020 European Social Fund (ESF) programme in England contributes to local growth by increasing labour market participation, promoting social inclusion, and developing the skills of the potential and existing workforce. It is part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth programme for England in 2014 to 2020. 

The delivery of the programme by the final ESF funded projects ceases on 31 December 2023, over 8 years after the first projects were approved.  

This booklet provides an overview of the programme and some achievements and lessons so far. It includes links to website pages, including some featuring projects from across the country. 

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the Managing Authority (MA) for the programme. The ESF programme funding is €3.5 billion – approximately £3 billion based on September 2023 exchange rate calculations.  

Since 2015, the current ESF programme has been supporting local level projects. To 1 October 2023 the programme has helped around 2.2 million people. Of these over 300,000 who upon starting ESF declared they were either inactive or job searching, had gained employment at the time they left ESF support; and over 200,000 people were in education or training upon leaving.  

As part of the Government’s overall growth activity, ESF has been delivered with a range of partners, including other Government Departments and bodies across public, private and third sectors. European Union (EU) funds require national co-financing (known as ‘match funding’) from either public or private sources. ESF in England has worked with four national Co-Financing Organisations (CFOs) which have helped commit, spend, and manage some of the funds available and these are:

  • the European Social Fund
  • the European Regional Development Fund
  • part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development helps with:

  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) 
  • Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) 
  • His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) 
  • The National Lottery Community Fund, (TNLCF) through its Building Better Opportunities programme

As well as the CFO funding arrangements above, there have been some local CFOs and organisations that have bid directly for funding, sourcing their own match funding for a project. 

2. ESF Projects

ESF funded projects provide a wide range of activities and services to those they help, including: 

  • identifying any deep-rooted labour market barriers, a person is facing and addressing these through flexible tailored support 
  • measures that improve social inclusion, such as confidence building and increasing awareness of, and providing access to, resources and support  
  • vocational skills and learning 
  • employability skills and job-search support 
  • traineeships, apprenticeships, volunteering opportunities and work experience 
  • working with employers and skills providers to improve the relevance of skills training related to in-work provision

Information about the activities and achievements of local ESF projects across England can be found in annual ESF booklets published on GOV.UK between 2017 and 2022.  

These booklets showcase the diversity of support that has helped people improve their employability, gain new skills, move towards and into work, or has provided other positive outcomes, such as returning to training or education. 

More information on ESF projects in England is available by accessing the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund list of beneficiaries published on GOV.UK.  

You can also access information about local ESF projects across England that have been co-financed through The National Lottery Community Fund ‘Building Better Opportunities’ programme.  

3. Management of the Programme 

The ESF Operational Programme, which includes detail around priority areas and governance, was formally adopted by the European Commission (EC) in September 2015.  

More detailed information about the management and delivery of the ESF programme can be found in the following annual reports published on GOV.UK by the Department for Work and Pensions – the ESF Managing Authority: 

The Growth Programme Board is the Programme Monitoring Committee in England for the 2014 to 2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth programme – which comprises the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).  

4. Evaluation  

The 2014 to 2020 ESF programme in England has been the subject of an ongoing national evaluation programme to assess its effectiveness, impact, and efficiency. The evaluation has been guided by a strategy developed at the outset of the programme to ensure EC requirements are met while gathering useful evidence and lessons learned to support and inform current and future domestic employment and skills programmes. The evaluation has been carried out by a professional team of DWP analysts and is part funded by ESF Technical Assistance.  

To date there have been 5 published reports as part of the DWP research series on GOV.UK. The published evaluation evidence to date, both quantitative and qualitative, suggests that the ESF programme has been effective in meeting its key objectives to promote sustainable and quality employment, support labour mobility, promote social inclusion, learning and skills. It has been particularly successful at targeting, engaging, and supporting those furthest from the labour market and outside mainstream support, providing an extensive breadth and depth of provision, reflecting the diversity of its investment priorities and target groups.

Research found that the appointment of a key worker and access to flexible, personalised, ‘wraparound’ support based on individuals needs and aspirations was integral to many ESF projects and was viewed as key to overcoming barriers and securing sustainable outcomes. The benefits identified include having a consistent point of contact from day one of a participant’s journey, which allowed time to build a good relationship – and having flexibility around the frequency of contact.  

The DWP Evaluation team will continue to evaluate the outcomes and longer-term impact of the programme with final published reports expected in 2024. 

5. Contact Information 

For more information about the 2014 to 2020 England ESF programme: 

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