European Social Fund: 673 million for promoting bright minds

Of the 673 million euros that were available to Saxony in the funding period from 2014 to 2020 as part of the European Social Fund (ESF), more than 97 percent have now been approved. Almost 40.000 projects were funded nationwide.

Saxony's Economics and Labor Minister Martin Dulig: »The European Social Fund improves access to jobs, offers qualification and supports social integration. Thanks to the ESF programs, many thousands of people in Saxony have been able to shape their future and set their professional course. We will also need this support in the future, because in addition to the catching-up process of our economy after Corona and the ever-approaching phase-out of coal, there are other enormous challenges ahead of us. Ongoing technological developments are leading to an automated and digitized working environment. Employees and companies have to stay on the ball, because only those who continue their education can help shape this transformation process.«

With the help of ESF funds, around 26.000 further vocational training courses were funded through the further training check (further training check for companies: 14.461, further training check for individuals: 11.226), the SMILE start-up initiative, which supports members of universities and research institutions in preparing for their entrepreneurial independence and the InnoTeam » Building system 2.0 for carbon concrete«.

REACT-EU for the ESF in Saxony

To deal with the acute pandemic, an additional 16 million euros of REACT-EU funds will flow into the ESF Saxony. The funding follows on from the current ESF program and focuses on education, further training and employment. The funds can be used until the end of 2023 and thus close the gap between acute crisis management and support for long-term economic recovery through the programs of the 2021-2027 funding period. The funds flow into four areas:

• Vocational training in Saxony (REACT-EU)
• Extracurricular projects on education for the green and digital transition
• Higher Education (research for young people)
• Transformation in companies to secure a green and digital future

Applications for ESF funding from REACT can be submitted to the Saxon Development Bank (SAB).

Outlook funding period 2021-2027
Preparations for the funding period from 2021 to 2027 are in full swing, with 590 million euros of ESF funding available. The ESF – like the European structural and investment funds as a whole – is designed for the long term thanks to the seven-year financial framework at European level. The ESF thus offers the opportunity to trigger additional long-term economic and employment policy impulses.

Hintergrund:

The ESF has been helping to shape the development of employment policy in Saxony for three decades now. More than 3,6 billion euros of EU funds were used thanks to Europe's financial support during this period. And in the last 20 years alone, over 1,3 million Saxons have been funded by the ESF.

Information on the ESF: www.strukturfonds.sachsen.de

Source: Press release from the SMWA from February 22.12.2021th, XNUMX