23/09/2011

London jobseekers to receive £11.3m in support

The £11.3m European Social Fund is being administered by 15 London boroughs and their constituent councils; with the aim of supporting employment and education organisations.

David Jones, programme manager from Greater London Enterprise (GLE), said: "The whole programme has been very successful in the past. The fund is meant for those smaller organisations on the front line who can give people the sort of support that other larger groups can't give."

Last quarter on the previous programme 13,802 people took part through different organisations in participating boroughs in the capital. Of these, 2,819 had been put forward to Further and Higher Education, including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.

The programme is funded by boroughs giving money to London Councils, which is then matched with funds from the EU Social Fund, doubling the money spent on organisations and their projects in the boroughs.

The projects funded equip individuals with the personal and occupational skills they needs to access and compete effectively in the labour market.

The boroughs taking part are Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, City of London Corporation, Croydon, Enfield, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hillingdon, Ealing, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Westminster.