European Social Fund operational programme 2007 to 2013: glossary
Published 1 January 2008
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This publication is withdrawn
The European Social Fund (ESF) programme for 2007 to 2013 in England and Gibraltar has closed. For funding from 2014 to 2020, apply for European Structural and Investment Funds.
Audit Authority
Body designated by the EU member state, independent of the Managing Authority, to be responsible for verifying the effective functioning of the management and control system.
The Audit Authority for England and Gibraltar is in DWP Internal Audit and Investigations.
Article 62 Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Beneficiary
Body responsible for initiating or initiating and implementing European Social Fund (ESF) programme operations.
Beneficiaries can be from a variety of organisations, including public administrations, workers’ and employers’ organisations, non-governmental organisations, charities and companies.
Co-financing organisations (CFOs) are beneficiaries, as are providers in convergence and phasing in areas that hold direct contracts with the ESF Managing Authority.
Article 2 (4) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Certifying Authority
Body designated by the EU member state to certify statements of expenditure and applications for payment before they are sent to the European Commission.
The Certifying Authority for England and Gibraltar is in the ESF Division of DWP.
Article 61 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Co-financing agreement
The agreement between the Managing Authority and a Co-financing organisation (CFO) relating to the activities, outputs and results described in the Co-financing plan.
Previously referred to as a “contract” or “funding agreement” – these terms should not be used.
Co-financing organisation
Organisation that brings together the ESF and match funding in a single funding stream. With a few exceptions, all ESF activity is delivered by CFOs.
Co-financing plan
Plan prepared by a CFO or jointly by a group of CFOs in a region to describe the activities, outputs and results that they will procure in order to deliver the employment and/or skills priorities in the regional ESF framework that they have taken responsibility for.
Community grants
Grants of up to £15,000 to help small voluntary and community organisations improve the chances of the most disadvantaged and excluded people finding work.
Community strategic guidelines
Community strategic guidelines are established by the EU Council to help Managing Authorities plan and use structural funds, taking account of other relevant European Community policies.
Read more about Community strategic guidelines
Article 25 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Convergence
The convergence objective aims to develop regions where the economy is lagging behind the rest of the EU. These regions are eligible for a higher level of funding because their gross per capita GDP is less than 75% of the average of the EU.
The only convergence region in England is Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Article 5 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Cross-cutting themes
EU regulations specify 2 cross-cutting themes:
- equal opportunities and gender equality – article 16 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
- sustainable development – article 17 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (sustainable development)
Entry level qualification
Qualification level giving basic knowledge and skills that can be applied in everyday situations – but not related to any specific occupations – for example, ‘Skills for Life’.
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) operates separately from ESF, with separate programmes at sub-national level. It targets EU funding to areas that have found it difficult to attract private investment, so that they can improve their economic competitiveness.
Grant co-ordinating body
An organisation that is responsible for managing and allocating community grants.
Previously called ‘intermediate body’.
Indicator
Indicators measure the success or otherwise of the ESF operational programme using management information. For example, an indicator of the number of people from ethnic minorities finding a job would help to assess how well an objective for increasing the proportion of people from ethnic minorities in employment was being met.
Indicators should not be confused with targets.
Irregularity
Any infringement of a provision of European Community law resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the general budget of the European Union by charging an unjustified item of expenditure to the general budget.
Article 2 (7) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Managing Authority
Body designated by the EU member state to manage the ESF operational programme.
For England and Gibraltar the ESF Managing Authority is in the ESF Division of DWP.
Article 60 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Match funding
Public funding that is used by co-financing organisations (CFOs) to match ESF funded provision.
Monitoring Committee
The committee at national level, chaired by the Managing Authority that oversees the effectiveness and quality of the implementation of the operational programme.
Specific tasks of the committee are described in Article 65 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
The Monitoring Committee is sometimes referred to as the ‘Programme Monitoring Committee’ or PMC.
Article 63-68 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
National strategic reference framework
Document prepared by each EU member state to ensure that assistance from the structural funds is consistent with the Community strategic guidelines on cohesion, and which identifies the link between European Community priorities and its national reform programme.
It is co-ordinated by The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and submitted at UK level.
Read the National strategic reference framework for 2007-2013 .
Article 27 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
NEET
Young people not in education, employment or training.
National Offender Management Service
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. It make sure people serve the sentences and orders handed out by courts, both in prisons and in the community and is one of the CFOs in England.
NVQ
National Vocational Qualification.
OGD
Other government department.
Operation
An ESF project or group of projects selected by the Managing Authority of the ESF operational programme.
CFOs manage one or more operations, which consist of a number of projects run by providers.
Article 2 (3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Operational programme
Document submitted by an EU member state and adopted by the European Commission setting out a development strategy with a coherent set of priorities to be carried out with the aid of a fund.
Article 2 (1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Output
Outputs relate to activity. They are measured in physical terms – for example, number of participants. The term should not be confused with results.
Participant
An individual person who takes part on an ESF funded activity.
Phasing in
Phasing in areas are areas that had objective 1 status in the 2000 to 2006 programming period whose per capita GDP exceeds 75% of the average GDP of the EU15. They were eligible for regional competitiveness and employment funding at a much higher level until 2010.
Phasing in areas in England are Merseyside and South Yorkshire.
Article 8 (2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Programme Monitoring Committee
Same as Monitoring Committee.
Priority axis
Priorities of the strategy in an operational programme comprising a group of operations which are related and which have specific measurable goals.
Usually referred to as a “priority”.
Article 2 (2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Project
An activity or group of activities run by a provider to help people into employment or to improve their skills in accordance with the objectives of the operational programme and the regional ESF framework. Part of an operation.
Provider
A provider is responsible for delivering an approved ESF project, under contract to a CFO. In exceptional circumstances in convergence and phasing in areas, the provider may be under contract directly to the Managing Authority.
Regional competitiveness and employment
The regional competitiveness and employment objective aims to strengthen the competitiveness, employment and attractiveness of regions other than those which are the most disadvantaged.
Regional competitiveness and employment objective regions are eligible for less funding from the structural funds than those where the convergence objective applies.
All areas except Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are regional competitiveness and employment regions.
Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Qualification levels
The level of qualification in the National Qualifications Framework.
Qualification levels relate to both academic and vocational qualifications and should not be confused with NVQs. There is an entry level, then 8 further levels.
Regional ESF framework
Regional ESF frameworks are documents developed by each regional skills partnership in consultation with wider regional partners which aim to ensure that ESF addresses local employment and skills priorities for the region in the context of the operational programme.
Regional skills partnership
Regional skills partnerships are bodies set up under the national skills strategy to develop employment and skills strategies for each region.
Result
Results relate to the direct and immediate effect on participants brought about by a programme, for example entering employment or obtaining a qualification. Not to be confused with output.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Read the full definition of SME as defined by EU law.
Structural Funds
The Structural Funds are intended to narrow the development disparities among regions and EU member states.
For the period 2007 to 2013, there are 2 Structural Funds:
Read more about Structural Funds
Target
Targets are quantified with numerical values. Not to be confused with indicators which can be used to measure if a target has been met.
Each priority axis in the operational programme has a small number of quantified targets for outputs and results.
Article 37 (d) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006
Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance (TA) funds finance the preparation, management, monitoring, evaluation, information and control activities of the ESF operational programme at national and regional levels. These funds are mainly used to support CFOs as they are responsible for most of ESF programme activity.