In the new programming period 2014-2020 the European Social Fund continues to support edu­cation, training and vocational training for skills and life-long learning. It covers formal, non-formal and informal learning pathways. Among others, vocational education and training systems and lifelong learning are priorities. The ESF approach stresses the need of dual learning systems and ap­prenticeships in order to facilitate transition from education to work. Member States with identified challenges and needs in this area are therefore invited to choose these investment priorities.

Currently, the Commission and Member States are negotiating the partnership agreements and oper­ational programmes which will set the framework for the European structural and investments funds (ESI) in the seven upcoming years and will define the investment priorities that countries set for themselves. The ESI funds and the ESF in particular have a crucial role to play in contributing to the targets set by the Europe 2020 strategy, allowing a clear link between policy and funding.

The ESF co-finances projects in a wide variety of areas:

• ESF projects promote skills development and training, in particular for transferable competences, such as digital skills, languages and entrepreneurship,

• vocational education providers are helped to align their teaching to the demands of the labour market, encouraging more apprenticeships and company trainee schemes,
• enhancement of worker mobility and quality assurance schemes for vocational education and alignement with European standards,
• the ESF is encouraging vocational-training institutions to improve the relevance and the range of courses they offer to companies and individuals. In particular, ensuring that what is taught is what is needed to get a job, improve performance and offer the trainee or apprentice better job prospects.

A helpdesk on apprenticeship and traineeship schemes has been set up to provide strategic, operational and policy advice for entities that are planning, setting up, running or evaluating appren­ticeship and traineeship schemes, which can also serve to improve strategic use of the ESF.

Who can benefit

The target group of the ESF actions are individual people, the ESF participants. However, to implement an ESF project it is not possible to apply as an individual. Only organisations or companies can submit an application, such as:

• public bodies at national, regional and local level in charge of delivering services in the areas of youth employment, education and training poli­cies, civil society and other private organisations delivering services in the policy fields above,
• social partners or their members, e.g. companies wishing to improve the qualifications of their staff.

The project promoters (beneficiaries) are determined and selected by the ESF managing authorities at member state level according to nationally set rules.

The ESF is managed at national and/or regional level. To find out more, visit the ESF homepage http://ec.europa.eu/esf/ and contact the responsi­ble ESF managing authority in your country or region.