The European Social Fund

The East of England has been awarded an allocation of £174 million for the period 2007-13 as part of the new England and Gibraltar European Social Fund (ESF) programme. This programme will fund projects which address the employment and skills challenges in the East of England, focusing on extending employment opportunities to those not in work and developing a skilled and adaptable workforce for the needs of the region's businesses.

The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is one of five Co-Financing Organisations (CFOs) in the East of England region for the new programme 2007-13. The other CFOs are the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Bedfordshire County Council and Luton Borough Council.

EEDA's Co-financing Plan, which was formally approved in December 2007 by the region's European Programmes Strategy Group, contains an ESF allocation of £7.4 million for the initial programme period 2008-11.

For further information on the European Social Fund, please visit www.esf.gov.uk or, to find details of EEDA's current tender opportunities, please go to www.eeda.org.uk/esf.