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ESFVON
European Social Fund Voluntary Organisations Northern
DRAFT RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION ON
Consultation on the draft Operational Programme for the European Social Fund
2007 - 2013 will close on 22 January 2007.
ESFVON has compiled the attached draft response on which it would welcome
your views and comments by Friday 19 January 2007 as it is seeking to
represent the wider interests of voluntary and community organisations
accessing the current Objective 2 and Objective 3 programmes, and who
will be interested in opportunities under the new ESF Programme.
The proposed programme is based on two main Priorities.
Priority 1 Extending Employment Opportunities - it will help to tackle barriers to work faced by disadvantaged groups such as people with disabilities and health conditions, lone parents and other disadvantaged parents, older workers, ethnic minorities, and people with no or low qualifications. It will also aim to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
Priority 2 Developing a Skilled and Adaptable Workforce - by reducing the number of people without basic skills, increasing the number of people qualified to level 2 and, where justified, to level 3, reducing gender segregation in the workforce and developing managers and workers in small enterprises. [
Current co-financing arrangements will continue. There will be an ESF regional strategy in which the Regional Skills Partnership will have a leading role. Our response draws attention to experiences of organisations under the current Objective 2 and Objective 3 Programmes and makes a number of proposals in relation to the proposed implementation arrangements.
The full consultation document, including possible activities during 2007 - 2013, can be found at www.esf.gov.uk
We look forward to any comments you would wish us to consider in the response.
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