Member Article

North East leads Europe in fund delivery success

Organisations from across the region have been commended at a European conference for the way in which they have deployed funds to aid local needs, business development and sustainable regeneration.

Over the last 18 months, the Slovenian Government has embarked on project LoPES, which aimed to investigate the distribution and use of European Social Fund resources. The North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) was identified early on as a lead partner in demonstrating best practice in Northern England.

Willie Herdman, Special Projects Manager at the North East BIC, said: “The initial delegation from Slovenia arrived in July 2008, and together we embarked upon a study visit of the North’s key delivery agencies, travelling as far south as Liverpool.”

Following the UK visit, the delegation prepared a report for the Slovenian government, and was subsequently asked to stage a conference, ‘Local Partnership - Pathway to Employment Success in Slovenia - LoPES’, which would end the project and make its findings public across the EU.

Of the 10 delivery organisations from across Europe asked to present on best practice, four were from North East England. Representatives from The Environment Academy in Newcastle, Renew North East in Felling, Hemlington Works in Teesside, and the New Entrepreneur Scholarship team from the North East BIC travelled to Slovenia on 29 January to attend the conference along with 100 other delegates from across Europe.

Willie Herdman said: “As the organisers had also indicated that they would be interested in hearing from a local government perspective as well as that of the deliverers, we were also able to use video communications to connect the delegates to representatives from One North East, Learning Skills Council and Job Centre Plus back in the UK.

“The fact that, within a conference which represented best practice all across Europe, almost half of the organisations asked to take part hail from the North East is testament to our region’s outstanding success in ensuring that ESF money addresses local needs and aids sustainable development.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .