The ESF Learning Networks (LNs)Some Issues for Consideration

A REMINDER OF THE THEMES

Themes that started in the first half of 2009:• Inclusive Entrepreneurship (COPIE); • Migrants and Ethnic Minorities (IMPART);• Ex-offenders (ExOCoP); • Partnership (CoP Partnership).

The ESF Learning Networks (LNs)Some Issues for Consideration

Themes that started in the second half of 2009:

• Social Economy (BFSE);• Empowerment and Inclusion;• Youth Employment;• Transnational Cooperation;• Public Administration Reforms (ACB);• Results-based Management (RBM).

The ESF Learning Networks (LNs)Some Issues for Consideration

Themes that started in the first half of 2010:

• Gender Mainstreaming;• Age Management;• Asylum Seekers.

As the three latest LNs are just getting up and running, this presentation only covers the 10 LNs that began their work in 2009.

TEETHING TROUBLES

Some of the LNs encountered a number of financial or legal difficulties in relation to:

• Contracting experts or external services;• Making bilateral agreements between members; and• Some members withdrew, as in the current economic climate

they no longer had the financial resources to participate .

Whilst this may have slowed the pace of progress, in the vast majority of cases, these difficulties have now been resolved by re-adjusting the budget or by some members taking on additional responsibilities.

THE SCALE OF OPERATIONS

The LNs have introduced a variety of different – and sometimes innovative - arrangements to achieve their objectives in terms of content:• 12 Working Groups or Task Forces;• 12 Study Visits;• 15 Peer Reviews;• 26 Workshops;• 11 Seminars or Basecamps.

THE SCALE OF OPERATIONS

With so many partners in different countries and events and activities taking place in a variety of locations, each network needs to have effective planning procedures in place and to ensure regular, on-going communication with all its partners and stakeholders.

EXPLORING SYNERGIES

• Inclusive Entrepreneurship and the Social Economy;

• Inclusive Entrepreneurship and the Youth Employment;

• Youth Employment and Age Management;• Empowerment and Inclusion with Migrants and

Ethnic Minorities and also Ex-offenders; • Partnership and Public Administration Reforms ;• Gender Mainstreaming and most LNs.

Only suggestions and will be discussed later

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

• Only one LN has agreed the terms of reference; • Three others have made provision for external

evaluation; • One LN talks about internal evaluation; • No information from the remaining four.

The issue of ensuring suitable arrangements for the monitoring and evaluation of the work of the LNs will be an issue for further consideration.

DISSEMINATION AND MAINSTREAMING

Some like Transnationality and Partnerships target individuals or organisations responsible for the implementation of the ESF

Others have a wider target audience and some are actively involving potential stakeholders from the very beginning of their activities

DISSEMINATION AND MAINSTREAMING

At an EU policy level, the interests of some LNs also go beyond ESF concerns for example:

• Empowerment and Inclusion LN - other units in DG Employment;

• Migrants and Ethnic Minorities - DG EAC• (Ex)–offenders - is working directly with DG EAC

and DG JLS • Inclusive Entrepreneurship - DG Enterprise and

Industry DG• Social Economy - the Internal Market and

Competition DGs.

Working on the Issues Together

DG EMPL Unit B4 recognises that there are three major areas with which it can assist the LNs by:

• Providing LNs with access to other DG EMPL units and to other European Commission services;

• Structuring opportunities for LNs to discuss potential synergies in their work and to exchange their good practices;

• Ensuring that the work commissioned from the AEIDL team provides appropriate support  to the LNs.

Working on the Issues Together

In the last respect, he Commission has already asked AEIDL to draft a series of Common Methodologies on the following topics:• Reviewing good practice in the area of improving

the quality of networking and learning through professional planning, monitoring and evaluation;

• Supporting the development of Learning Networks and helping them to consolidate;

• Mainstreaming network results into ESF OPs;

Working on the Issues Together

• Measuring the impact and effectiveness of learning networks;

• Providing better quality of evidence for policy development and change through sound identification, testing and validation of good practice and winning stories;

• Reviewing good practice in the area of communication between participants in learning networks between face to face meetings;

• Organising peer reviews as an element in peer learning.

Working on the Issues Together

• The Common Methodologies will be presented in the form of a manual, the first draft of which will be discussed at a meeting of all LNs that will be held in June 2010.

 • In addition, if it is considered it to be useful, the

AEIDL team could be asked to provide a regular, quarterly ‘newsletter’ for LNs and ESF MAs highlighting the recent developments in, and achievements of, all the LNs.