Joining the fierce competition for a European grant is well worth it. Mary Evans reports
When the Leapfrog chain of day nurseries won a 92,000 training grant from the European Social Fund it might have looked as though they had found the proverbial crock of gold at the rainbow's end.
The chain has used the money to train 70 staff to NVQ level 3 in Early Years Care and Education and NVQ Assessor awards. But Leapfrog's head of training and personnel, Tracey Storey, says, 'We have probably spent twice or three times the money in terms of our time and commitment.'
The ESF is the main source of finance within the European Union to help create and protect jobs, and there is tough competition to win a grant. Ms Storey reckons that to win a childcare training bid, an organisation would need to be accredited for NNEB and City and Guilds training.
She was confident the project bid would be approved because it coincided with the Government's childcare strategy aim to increase the numbers of qualified staff aged 18 to 23.
Ms Storey says, 'What we are trying to do is grow our own qualified staff because there is a national shortage and we are growing our own supervisors, deputy mangers and managers of the future.
'The bid itself has to be extremely detailed, as you are scored on your answers (see box). The hardest part was finding a public match funder. You have to find a public body with whom to share the project and who shares your aims and aspirations. We linked up with Daventry Tertiary College.
'We weren't just given a cheque for 92,000. We had the money in three amounts and at each stage you had to demonstrate you had spent it as you said you would. ESF staff had to have access to our files at any time.
'It is essential to have a brilliant administration system as you have to be able to track everything. In our central office we allocated between ten and 20 hours a week on this project. Without the grant we would still have done the project, but on a smaller scale.'
One training manager was assigned to oversee the ESF project and a member of staff was appointed at each nursery to ensure the records were properly kept and to liaise between central office and the nursery staff.
Leapfrog is now working on a second ESF bid that would enable them to offer training to smaller childcare concerns in such areas as business administration, health and safety and customer care.
What applicants need to offer
There are three ESF objectives to ensure the fund targets the most serious needs. The Government has drawn up specific priorities and targets for each objective.
Objective 1 aims to develop underdeveloped regions: Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Wales and the Valleys, and Cornwall and Scilly Isles.
Objective 2 aims to renew declining industrial, urban, rural and fisheries areas.
Objective 3 aims to tackle long-term unemployment by:
- helping young people and those at risk of not being able to find work;
- improving training, education and counselling for lifelong learning;
- encouraging entrepreneurship and adaptability in the workplace; and
- promoting equal opportunities and improving the role of women in the workforce.
The ESF Unit at the Department for Education and Employment has overall accountability for the fund, while the Government Offices throughout the English regions, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales are responsible for managing it.
Applications are scored, appraised and selected through competitive bidding. To succeed, a project must at least:
- add value - it would not take place or would be less effective without ESF support;
- give good value for money;
- contribute to meeting the ESF objectives;
- meet more specific government targets/Regional Development Plans and so on.
ESF money gives financial support towards the running costs of projects providing training, employment, education, research and childcare. The ESF also supports Government programmes, including the New Deal. Any legally constituted organisation can apply for funds but not individuals.
ESF pays for a proportion (usually 45 per cent) of a project's costs. The remaining amount (usually 55 per cent) is known as match funding. Bidders can use both public and private match funding, but at least 10 per cent must be provided by a public authority.
ESF support is currently available between 2000 and 2006 and may assist some projects for up to 36 months but usually for no more than 24 months.
For further information, visit the ESF website www.esfnews.gov.uk