ESFVON
European Structrial Funds Voluntary Organisations Northern

ESF OBJECTIVE 3

*****************************
CURRENT CO-FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES IN
TYNE & WEAR, NORTHUMBERLAND, CO DURHAM, TEES VALLEY

Invitations to tender have been jointly published by all four Learning and Skills Councils in the North East under the remit of 'eQ8', the North East Employer Training Pilot (ETP). A total of £4 million is available. Note that tenders of more than £100,000 will be given priority. The deadline for submission of applications is noon Monday 16th May 2005.

A single Prospectus detailing the tender specification for eQ8, together with selection criteria and Application Form is available from through ESFVON's website, info@esfvon.org.uk, or via the LSC at www.lsc.gov.uk

TENDER SPECIFICATION
Outputs to be delivered.

Across the North East region it is anticipated that at least:

Geographic focus
The LSC will support sub-regional projects, those that cover more than one sub-region and those that provide full regional coverage within the North East. For operational purposes, a sub-regional project is one where the vast majority of learners (at least 70%) are employed within companies located within one sub-region i.e. it is the location of the employer which is the determining factor.
Timescales
For this invitation to tender, projects are eligible to start from 1st July 2005. Training delivery should finish by 30th September 2006 and all other aspects of ESF project activity would be expected to finish by end December 2006 e.g. securing evidence of qualification achievement from Awarding Bodies.
Learner Eligibility
All potential learners will need to complete an ETP eligibility form to determine whether they are eligible for ESF funded support to pursue a level 2 qualification.
Funding Rates
The ESF funding rates per learner will cover the initial assessment of learner needs and all aspects of the subsequent training, accreditation and any associated costs. The unit cost per beneficiary must replicate the existing eQ8 funding rates as detailed in the table below. The unit cost will be divided into 3 payments:

Table 1 below details the unit cost for delivering a vocational qualification across the target industrial sectors

Table 1.

Industrial Sector/Vocational QualificationsUnit cost (per Learner)
Construction£1200
Care£1000
Retail£800
Engineering£1200
Manufacturing£1200
Waste Management£1200
Public Sector (including health, schools and local authorities).£1000

Table 2 below details a number of additional eligible qualifications that may be applicable to learners who are employed in the above industrial sectors e.g. for a learner employed within a Construction company who is undertaking a first level 2 Business Administration qualification the unit cost will be £800.

Table 2.

Other eligible qualifications that can be supported within the target sectors aboveUnit cost (per Learner)
Management and Prof.£1000
Business Admin£800
Customer Service£800
Transportation£1200
Leisure Travel and Sport£800
Hospitality£800
Hair and Beauty£1000
Agriculture (including Horticulture)£1000
Wage Compensation Model
It is anticipated that employers who qualify for wage compensation under ETP will also receive the appropriate amount in addition to having the training funded through ESF. This wage compensation will be paid from core ETP funds and not from ESF. Therefore, wage subsidy elements should not feature as costs within the ESF tender and, instead, will be paid to employers through existing arrangements with Business Link.
Broker Visits
Every employer will need a broker visit and Learning Champions in either the LLSC or Business Link will undertake these visits. These broker visits will be paid from core ETP funds and not from ESF. Therefore, broker visits should not feature as costs within the ESF tender and, instead, will be paid to employers through existing arrangements with Business Link.
Tyne and Wear, Co. Durham and Northumberland Sectoral Priorities:
All target Industrial sectors can be supported across the ESF Measures. Resources are distributed across the forgoing as follows ; Tyne and Wear (£2million), Co. Durham(£400k),and Northumberland (£400k)
Tees Valley Sectoral Priorities:
Measure 3.1 (£500k)):

Measure 3.2 (£300k):

Measure 4.1 (£200k):

Measure 4.2 (£200k):

PERIOD OF ACTIVITY
For this invitation to tender, projects are eligible to start from 1st July 2005. Training delivery should finish by 30th September 2006 and all other aspects of ESF project activity would be expected to finish by end December 2006 e.g. securing evidence of qualification achievement from Awarding Bodies.
APPLICATION PROCESS
For this regional Co-Financing round all tenders must be returned to the Learning and Skills Council Tyne and Wear. Tenders must be received at LSC Tyne and Wear no later than 12:00 noon on Monday 16th May 2005.

Further information is also available as follows -

For general information about the North East Employer Training Pilot see the eQ8 website: www.eq8.info

You can also contact either a member of the regional ETP team or, your local/sub-regional ETP team:

David Jackson, eQ8 Regional Manager, tel. 0191 492 6390 or email: David.Jackson@LSC.gov.uk

Tyne and Wear - Joe Burlison, Deputy Regional eQ8 Manager/ Tyne & Wear Co-ordinator, tel. 0191 4926377 or email Joe.Burlison@lsc.gov.uk

County Durham LSC - Jo Dalton, Sub Regional Co-ordinator (eQ8) tel. 0191 376 2331 or email Joanne.Dalton@lsc.gov.uk

Northumberland LSC - Alan Rowan, Employer Training Pilot Local Co-Ordinator, tel. 01670706218 or email Alan.Rowan@lsc.gov.uk

Tees Valley LSC - Chris Nicholls, Sub Regional Coordinator - Tees Valley, tel. 01642 743059 or email chris.nicholls@lsc.gov.uk

© 1999 - 2005 ESFVON, Design © FrostySoft Design.

Privacy Statement - Disclaimer