ESF Equal Opportunities and Sustainable Development Mainstreaming Leader National Awards 2012
ESF providers and sub-contractors have made their nominations for this year’s ESF Mainstreaming Leader Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at WorldSkills UK – The Skills Show, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham, 15-17 November 2012.
The ESF Mainstreaming Leader Awards, which were first launched in 2010, give high profile recognition to those ESF providers and sub-contractors who “go the extra mile” in promoting equal opportunities and sustainable development. The awards aim to move the mainstreaming agenda forward by promoting the award winners’ good practice with other partners across the programme.
The categories of the awards, ESF Mainstreaming Leader and ESF Mainstreaming Leader Specialist Project, reflect the dual approach to mainstreaming which the ESF programme promotes by:
- requiring providers to have policies and action plans to promote equality and sustainable development, and
- using ESF funds to support a range of niche and specialist projects which either target specific disadvantaged groups or which have an environmental or “green” focus in promoting jobs and skills.
This year’s awards again include the ESF Gender Equality Mainstreaming Leader award. This award category aims to give special recognition to projects which have demonstrated good practice in promoting gender equality, which can also include innovative approaches.
Award winners will be asked to give a short 10 minute presentation in one of the ESF seminars at the Skills Show event. The winners will be publicised through the DWP’s ESF website and the ESF Works website.