Issue 3Welcome to this, our third delivery briefing note, which this month is focussing on ensuring that all our LSC ESF projects meet their spend targets. This is vitally important as any money not spent will have to go back to Europe. Indeed, if we don’t hit European spend targets in this programme, our funding in subsequent years will be reduced. This would impact on the funding available to help learners in the region in the future and in a region facing as many skills challenges as ours this is not a situation we want to face. We talked in our last newsletter about how the project closure process would identify any shortfalls and from this projects could be asked to return any moneys not used in accordance with the agreed profile and delivery plan. However, it is really now that you need to be addressing any potential issues and we are calling on each and every project to check its spend profile, check claims are being made on time and check audit certificates are up-to-date. Monitoring your spend should be routine, but we have detailed some hints and tips to help you on your way, and as always, if you have any specific concerns please raise them sooner rather than later with your local LSC contact. The sooner we get an opportunity to address any problems, the more likely you are to meet your targets. By working together we can ensure that the West Midlands region takes full advantage of all the funding available in the programme. Don’t forget to register for regular programme updates by logging onto www.lsc.gov.uk/news and selecting the provider, publications and initiatives options. In the meantime, please let us know if there are any other issues you would like us to feature in future briefing notes. Please email esfpr@iassmarts.com with your suggestions.Julie Fowler
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We cannot overemphasise the importance of staying on top of delivery and if you foresee any problems in achieving your spend targets then please tell us as soon as you can. We are here to help and support you through any changes you need to make. Please don’t sit on the problem hoping that it will go away, but contact us immediately to talk about ways to address any issues.
The emphasis on achieving spend is linked to ensuring that you deliver on your projects and, as with all public funding, there are certain parameters you have to work within. You should not re-profile your project without talking through any proposed changes with your LSC contact. They will be able to guide you to ensure that your planned changes fit within the measures of the programme and remain eligible for funding. Failure to ensure your delivery plan remains eligible under Europe’s strict funding criteria could mean that you risk having funding withdrawn or clawed back at a later date.
If you are having problems recruiting candidates then it may be that you need to publicise the existence of the available training to employers or potential candidates and this is something we can help with through our publicity programme. Visit http://www.lsc.gov.uk/regions/WestMidlands/ESF/publicity/ for more information. You can also hold open days to raise awareness of the training available and encourage attendance. It is important to ensure that the candidates you recruit are on the right course for them and will be able to progress through the course, otherwise you may have problems at a later stage with retention and recruitment.
It is important to keep your candidates once you have recruited them and there are a number of ways to do this and to stop them dropping out. The main areas to consider are improved mentoring; understanding and removing the barriers faced by each individual; giving them the right information, advice and guidance to ensure the course is suited to the candidate and meets their expectations; and establishing motivational milestones to reinforce a sense of achievement at key points in the training.
Ultimately, your project will be assessed on outcomes and the achievements of the beneficiaries so it is important to continue to guide them through to the end and doing as much as you can to help them achieve their qualification. This may be giving your candidates additional help with ICT or more mentoring.
It may be that you are not on top of the administration of your project – a key issue in the past has been delays in audit sign off. By keeping all your records in order, this can be achieved quickly and claims dealt with more efficiently. Here, your LSC contact will be able to advise you on the records you need to keep and how to track your spend against your profile. You should check your spend against your delivery plan at least once a month so that any problems are picked up and dealt with early on.
All of the above need to carried out in accordance with your profile in Appendix 4 of your contract. So you should refer to this for guidance.
While attention to detail is critical in making claims and spending your money, it is important to remember the important role that your project is playing in achieving the skills development ambitions of the whole West Midlands region.
The current programmes are due to close from March 2008, a matter of months away, and you are one of over 300 projects that have made a significant contribution to meeting the training needs of the region. This is something to shout about and something everyone should be proud of.
By working together we can ensure that the success we have all worked so hard for is not overshadowed by the prospect of having to return our hard-won ESF funding allocation to Europe.