European Social Fund: annual implementation report 2020
This Annual Implementation Report (AIR) presents the activities for the European Social Fund for the investment for growth and jobs goal in 2020 with citizen's summary.
The full Annual Implementation Report (AIR) is available as a PDF and is attached to this page.
Below is a Citizen's Summary which briefly describes supported activity referred to in the AIR.
Citizen's summary 2020: European Social Fund
The European Social Fund (ESF) helps people improve their lives by learning new skills, finding better jobs and lifting them out of poverty. The ESF is one half of the European Structural and Investment Funds - the other is the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
By the end of 2020, the Scottish Government's running total of approved ESF operations was £336.4m. This money was allocated to local authorities and national partners so that they can deliver projects themselves or distribute the funding to smaller organisations.
What the ESF does
The Scottish Government allocates ESF support to projects that work towards our aim of boosting smart and inclusive growth. These projects include:
- employability programmes run by local authorities
- Skills Development Scotland's apprenticeships
- advice and support for vulnerable households
Case study: ESF gives a Positive Future to people in Perth
Thanks to £343,000 of ESF support, Perth and Kinross Council have been coordinating ‘Positive Future’ projects that provide assistance to people in poverty. These individuals face a combination of barriers and require holistic advice and assistance on finances, housing benefits, health employment and education. For example, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in Perth have received ESF support to help people like Ms T, a lady in her forties, who had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Due to her illness, Ms T had to stop working and her debts accrued to an unsustainable level. Her social security situation was complicated by intermittent stays in hospitals and hospices. As a result, she was extremely anxious not to leave her finances in a poor state for her children’s sake.
With Ms T’s permission, Perth CAB spoke with her oncologist and obtained medical evidence of her condition. This has allowed them to complete the laborious task of negotiating with and providing evidence to numerous creditors on their client’s behalf, so that Ms T can dedicate her time to the important things in life. Thanks to ESF support, Ms T has been able to spend the remainder of her life free from worrying about her financial situation.
Case study: mapping out routes to work in North Lanarkshire thanks to ESF
North Lanarkshire’s Working is an employability service delivered by North Lanarkshire Council. Thanks to £10.3m of ESF support, it is able to run projects like Routes to Work that match people who are unsure about how to start or progress their career with job opportunities that meet their skills and needs.
The service helps people like Dominic in Wishaw. While his fellow students were preparing for college and university, Dominic was unsure about his next steps. He knew he wanted to work instead of going into further or higher education and that a practical role where he could learn on the job would be best suited to him.
The team at North Lanarkshire’s Working provided Dominic with confidence-building courses and support to improve his CV and interview skills. Following their help, he was successful in gaining a role as an Apprentice Plumber with Cruden, which he continues to enjoy and excel in. Thanks to ESF support, people like Dominic are able to find employment that suits their desires and qualities, and employers are able to recruit a new generation of motivated and committed workers.
Find out more
In December 2020, we published a case studies booklet containing 12 stories of people and organisations who have benefitted from ESF and ERDF support. The booklet is available to view on our website.
For updates, follow us on @ScotGovESIF.
Contact
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback