Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today announced a €1 billion co-funded investment in employment, skills, social inclusion and poverty in Ireland.
The funding is a joint investment by the Irish Government and the European Union under the European Social Fund Plus with €573 million coming from the Irish Government and €508 million from the European Union for the period until 2027.
Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “Ireland’s European Social Fund Plus programme is about investing in our people.
“The funding will be used to support a wide range of initiatives including upskilling and reskilling, lifelong learning, social inclusion and social innovation, with an emphasis on young people, and most at-need groups.”
The following priorities have been identified for funding:
- Access to employment
- Skills and lifelong learning for all
- Tackling poverty and social exclusion
- Social innovation
Almost half of the funding, €498.6 million, will be directed towards tackling poverty and social exclusion, especially among people from disadvantaged communities and children’s services, as well as promoting equal opportunities for everyone in society, regardless of their background.
More than €180 million will be spent on driving employment, with a particular focus on young people and the long-term unemployed.
A further €281 million will go towards upskilling, reskilling and promoting lifelong learning, including entrepreneurial and digital skills, and assisting with promoting professional mobility.
Among the new measures will be a €31 million investment in upskilling childcare workers, and an investment of €11 million investment in sport for social inclusion innovations.
The total amount of investment being made available under the ESF+ Programme is €1,081,009,996.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
The European Social Fund (ESF) is the EU's main instrument for investing in people, focusing on improving employment and education opportunities as well as enhancing social inclusion and tackling poverty.
The ESF is implemented by Member States in partnership with the European Commission and the ESF Managing Authority in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has responsibility for implementation of the ESF in Ireland.
ESF Funding is allocated over 7 year programming periods aligned to the EU’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework.
For the 2021-2027 period, the ESF will be merged with the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD) and the directly managed Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Programme, to become the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
The European Commission concluded formal negotiations on the 2021-2027 funding round during 2022. Funding negotiations with members states were delayed as the Commission responded to challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Ireland’s ESF+ allocation for 2021-27 is €508m in current prices. ESF+ is a co-financed programme, which means that the EU allocation must be matched by national funding. The co-financing rate varies by region. Ireland will have three NUTS 2 regions in the 2021-2027 round, with two different rates of co-financing. As ‘more developed’ regions, the Southern and the Eastern & Midlands regions will receive 40% in EU co-financing, while as a ‘transition’ region the North-Western region will receive 60% in EU co-financing. Higher rates of EU co-finance apply to measures supporting social innovation and assistance to the most deprived.
The focus of Ireland’s Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training (EIST) Programme was informed by an independent needs analysis, the relevant EU regulations, Country Specific Recommendations, the European Commission’s investment guidance, a wide range of EU and national strategies, a public consultation and the input of key stakeholders as part of the partnership process.
EIST Programme 2021-27 (Provisional Allocations) | Department/Body | ESF+ Allocation | National co-finance | Total allocation |
P1 – Employment |
Specific Objective: (a) improving access to employment and activation measures for all jobseekers, in particular young people, especially through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee, for long-term unemployed and disadvantaged groups on the labour market, and for inactive people, as well as through the promotion of self-employment and the social economy; |
ETB Training | SOLAS | 47,000,000 | 51,750,000 | 98,750,000 |
JobsPlus | DSP | 5,295,318 | 6,111,047 | 11,406,365 |
BTWEA | DSP | 10,445,264 | 12,957,484 | 23,402,748 |
People with Disabilities employment programme | DSP | 15,153,573 | 21,132,737 | 36,286,310 |
Gender Equality | DCEDIY | 4,906,000 | 6,094,000 | 11,000,000 |
Priority Total | | 82,800,155 | 98,045,268 | 180,845,423 |
| | | | |
2 - Skills and lifelong learning |
Specific Objective: (g) promoting lifelong learning, in particular flexible upskilling and reskilling opportunities for all taking into account entrepreneurial and digital skills, better anticipating change and new skills requirements based on labour market needs, facilitating career transitions and promoting professional mobility; |
Springboard+ | HEA | 29,151,499 | 38,210,071 | 67,361,570 |
Human Capital Initiative | HEA | 4,553,863 | 6,496,220 | 11,050,083 |
Skillnet | Skillnet | 24,591,600 | 31,298,400 | 55,890,000 |
Childcare upskilling | DCEDIY | 13,255,000 | 17,870,000 | 31,125,000 |
Specific Objective: (f) promoting equal access to and completion of quality and inclusive education and training, in particular for disadvantaged groups, from early childhood education and care through general and vocational education and training, to tertiary level, as well as adult education and learning, including facilitating learning mobility for all and accessibility for persons with disabilities |
PATH II - 1916 Bursary | HEA | 10,464,000 | 13,536,000 | 24,000,000 |
Adult Literacy | SOLAS | 42,400,002 | 49,600,002 | 92,000,004 |
Priority Total | | 124,415,964 | 157,010,693 | 281,426,657 |
| | | | |
P3 - Social Inclusion |
Specific Objective: (h) fostering active inclusion with a view to promoting equal opportunities, non-discrimination and active participation, and improving employability, in particular for disadvantaged groups; |
Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme | DRCD | 72,922,812 | 91,317,756 | 164,240,568 |
Integration of Migrants | DCEDIY | 2,160,000 | 3,240,000 | 5,400,000 |
Specific Objective: (l) promoting social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including the most deprived persons and children; |
Youthreach | SOLAS | 85,538,104 | 111,212,959 | 196,751,063 |
Youth Justice Services | D/Justice | 52,086,600 | 68,781,400 | 120,868,000 |
Young Parents' Supports | DCEDIY | 3,449,000 | 3,711,000 | 7,160,000 |
Family Support Practitioners | DCEDIY | 1,920,976 | 2,265,767 | 4,186,743 |
Priority Total | | 218,077,492 | 280,528,882 | 498,606,374 |
| | | | |
P4 - Social Innovation |
Specific Objective: (h) fostering active inclusion with a view to promoting equal opportunities, non-discrimination and active participation, and improving employability, in particular for disadvantaged groups; |
Sport Inclusion | Sport Ireland | 10,450,001 | 550,001 | 11,000,002 |
Social Innovation initiatives | DRCD | 4,192,454 | 220,655 | 4,413,109 |
Community Services Programme | DRCD | 9,337,735 | 491,461 | 9,829,196 |
Priority Total | | 23,980,190 | 1,262,117 | 25,242,307 |
| | | | |
P5 - Assistance to the most deprived |
Specific Objective: (m) addressing material deprivation through food and/or basic material assistance to the most deprived persons, including children, and providing accompanying measures supporting their social inclusion |
Assistance to the most deprived | DSP | 30,330,001 | 3,370,001 | 33,700,002 |
| | | | |
Technical Assistance @ 6% | | 28,776,222 | 32,413,011 | 61,189,2333 |
| | | | |
Total ESF+ Programme | | 508,380,024 | 572,629,972 | 1,081,009,996 |