Welcome to the website for the 2000-2006 Objective 3 Programme. The website contains many pages of information relating to the delivery of the Programme, the processes that have been implemented and the projects that have been supported. Over 3,100 projects have been funded since the beginning, and £353m of European Social Fund money has been committed. Project delivery ended on 31 December 2007 and we are now in the process of receiving final claims and final reports on the outcomes achieved from the last round of projects approved. Overall, the outcomes achieved by the projects that have closed so far are impressive and over 424,000 people have been assisted by ESF. Of these, 149,000 people gained a recognized qualification, 45,655 people progressed onto further education or training after ESF support. ESF also assisted almost 66,000 companies by providing support for the training and development of their employees. As we approach the end of the programme, we expect around 800 final claims to be submitted between February and April 2008, and we want to ensure that this process runs as smoothly as possible. THE ABSOLUTE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING ALL FINAL CLAIMS IS 30TH APRIL 2008. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT REPLACE ANY EARLIER DEADLINE WHICH HAS BEEN GIVEN BY THE PME IN RELATION TO RETURNING CLAIMS INFORMATION. CLAIMS SUBMITTED AFTER 30TH APRIL MAY NOT BE PROCESSED. Sometimes there can be unexpected delays to submitting claims and we would therefore encourage all applicants to prepare their final claims and transaction lists and submit them as soon as possible. It is vital that all projects submit a final claim, even if they are not due any further grant. This is a condition of grant and any project failing to do so may be decommited and funds already paid recovered. We have provided some Frequently Asked Questions About Final Claims and Responses on this website which will hopefully assist all organisations who are required to submit a Final Claim by the end of April or earlier. We will continue to update this website with any advice or information we believe is required to achieve successful closure at both Project and Programme levels. |