European Social Fund (ESF) - Regional Operational Programme 2014/2020
For the 2014-2020 period, the Emilia-Romagna Region outlined its strategy to support the employment and competitiveness of its territories through the European Social Fund (ESF).
The regional strategy has been created through a process of inter-institutional comparisons and consultation with the social partners and is described in the ESF Operational Programme.
The European Social Fund is an essential element for development, economic and social cohesion and is one of the driving factors for Europe 2020.
Compared to the Europe 2020 objectives, our region is positioned above the average of Italy and of the Central North region. However, the distance from the European targets is still visible, especially on the level of education within the population referenced. The regional strategy intervenes to bridge these distances, making available 786 million euros of which:
- € 490 million designated for employment
- € 157 million designated for social inclusion and the fight against poverty
- € 108 million designated for education and training
- € 1 million designated to build a better public administration.
In order to position Emilia-Romagna among the most competitive areas in Europe, the strategy starts from the regional educational and training infrastructure, Education Research Emilia-Romagna (ER).
The planned interventions correspond to a twofold objective: firstly, to guarantee to all citizens equal rights to acquire knowledge and skills, to grow and work, reaching their potential best.
Secondly, to narrow the relationship between the training, growth and qualification needs of the people and companies.