Analysis released on assessment of outcomes for people leaving ESF projects.
A report assessing the outcomes for those leaving ESF projects, designed to increase engagement in the labour market and improve the skill levels of the workforce, is now available.
The Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) has recently published a report prepared by WISERD and colleagues from Cardiff Business School.
Commencing in 2009 a research team, led by Rhys Davies, was commissioned by the WEFO to undertake three successive surveys of leavers from training programmes supported by the European Social Fund; referred to as the ESF Leaver’s Surveys. Other members of the research team include Professors Max Munday and Gerry Makepeace (also of Cardiff University) and Gareth Williams of Old Bell 3 Ltd. Fieldwork for the surveys is undertaken by IFF Research Limited.
These surveys provide a detailed investigation of the experiences of people who participated in training programmes in Wales and a unique insight in to the effectiveness of such labour market interventions.
The report is available from the WEFO website. Below are the some of the key findings:
2011 Key Findings
- The majority of participants who took part in ESF projects developed essential skills in organization, communication, team working skills and problem solving skills. Most feel more confident in their own abilities.
- Almost three quarters of respondents gained a qualification as a result of their participation in ESF training.
For priorities aimed at the unemployed and economically inactive:
- Within 12 months of finishing their training, almost half of previously unemployed respondents and 30% of previously economically inactive respondents are in employment;
- Comparisons with the wider population suggest that unemployed participants are about 20% more likely to find a job than unemployed individuals who have not attended ESF training.
For priorities aimed at those in work:
- The majority of participants reported improvements in job satisfaction, future pay and promotion prospects and opportunities for training, following their participation in an ESF project, although a minority indicated that this could be directly attributed to their participation in an ESF project.
- Around 1 in 5 respondents employed in a different job before their ESF project participation reported that ESF was vital to them gaining their current employment.
Click here to view the report in full.