ESF plaques and other publicity resources
There are a wide range of publicity resources including free ESF plaques, plus websites, and e-zines available to both support and enhance your publicity efforts. This section lists some of these resources and how you can access them.
- ESF plaques
- National ESF website
- European Social Fund at work’ ezine
- ESF-works.com and Twitter
- Promotional materials – films, booklets and posters
- Events
- Awards
- Organising your own awards and top tips
- Related topics
ESF plaques
It is an EU regulatory requirement that all ESF and match providers and their sub-contractors display an ESF plaque at their main delivery location. This is checked as part of ongoing project monitoring activity and potentially as part of any external audit. Financial penalties can, and have been, imposed for non-compliance with publicity requirements.
A main delivery location is defined as "the most commonly attended location by participants at each provider (and each of their sub-contractors) during the lifetime of the project. Providers and their sub-contractors are asked to determine this on the basis of the location that they expect to receive the highest number of participant days attendance." Plaques should be displayed in a prominent place where they are clearly visible to all participants, staff and others using the building, such as reception areas.
How to order an ESF plaque
ESF plaques are available free of charge:
Providers: contact your CFO funder. If you are a main provider or lead partner, you can request one or more ESF project plaques. These can cover your and any sub-contractor’s needs – but should not exceed one per project partner organisation. Please pass on a project plaque to each project sub-contractor.
Sub-contractors: contact your main project partner or funder who will arrange to supply you with an ESF plaque.
Employers involved in ESF projects that are providing learning, skills or other support for their employees are not required to display an ESF plaque. However, they and the ESF provider should:
- inform the employees of the ESF and EU support
- use visual materials, such as ESF posters in the workplaces or learning locations, to publicise the ESF and EU support, where possible.
For more information on plaques, see:
National ESF website
The England ESF website, managed by the ESF Managing Authority, is the primary communication tool for the England ESF programme.
The website is a good way to publicise your project and participant successes. Contact us if you have a news story or participant/project case study that you would like to place on or promote from the website.
Please clear this in advance with your your local CFO/funder. We will aim to publicise the content you provide on the site – but in some cases this may not be possible.
European Social Fund at work e-zine
Targeted at a wide range of audiences including ESF funded projects, European Social Fund at work is the bi-monthly e-zine for the 2007-2013 England ESF programme.
The e-zine:
- reports on the latest local and national news about ESF
- looks at ESF evaluations and their findings, plus emerging lessons and effective practice from projects
- showcases the activities and achievements of successful projects
- contains information on and links to a range of ESF and related initiatives
- features articles on the work of people delivering the programme
- provides a forward look to events/awards initiatives, new publications and funding opportunites.
Keep well informed about the latest ESF news and programme developments by subscribing to the e-zine or any ESF e-zine or newsletter that is circulated at a local level, for example by your CFO, funder or associated ESF partner.
How to get articles published in the e-zine
Publicise your project and participant successes or future events in the e-zine.
Please clear this in advance with your local CFO or funder before contacting us. We aim to publish as many stories as possible. However, we are restricted for space and it will not always be possible to include every submission. In some cases it may be possible to include links to websites.
- Contact us if you have a news story, participant/project case study or future event that you would like to place in or promote from the e-zine.
ESF-Works.com and Twitter
ESF-Works.com is the showcase and forum for policy and practice lessons from the 2007-2013 ESF programme in England. It is aimed at all professionals working in the areas of employment and skills.
ESF-Works offers a wide ranging and in-depth record of the activities and outcomes of projects from across the country.
Features include:
- project case studies
- interviews with participants
- themed topics
- innovation
- resources for providers delivering ESF
Share your successes with other providers:
Keep up to date
The ESF-Works team tweet regularly on a wide range of news, links and resources including some from the national ESF Managing Authority.
Promotional materials – films, booklets and posters
Use posters, films and booklets to help raise awareness amongst your:
- participants about EU and ESF support for your project (a contractual requirement);
- staff and partners about the wider context of the England ESF programme and the activity it supports.
Order the following materials from your CFO/funder. CFOs/funders can request additional supplies from the ESF Managing Authority
ESF Project plaque design posters
Free A3 size posters based on the design of the ESF project plaque are now available. The posters have a white background and are for display in locations where participant activity takes place and where there is not a contractual requirement to display a plaque.
The posters will have a white background and are for display in locations where participant activity takes place and where there is not a contractual requirement to display a plaque.
The aim of the posters is to help inform and raise awareness of ESF and EU support amongst ESF participants – which is an EU regulatory and DWP contractual requirement. The use of the posters is not mandatory but can add value to other messages being given to participants.
How to order ESF posters
ESF posters are available free of charge:
Providers: contact your CFO funder and ask for a supply of posters to meet your and any sub-contractor’s needs. On receipt please pass on the posters to your sub-contractors.
Sub-contractors: contact your main project partner or funder who will arrange to supply you with the posters.
Employers: involved in ESF projects that are providing learning, skills or other support for their employees can also request a supply of posters from their main project partner. These can be used in their workplaces or learning locations, to publicise the ESF and EU support to employees.
"ESF and you" film
A short, engaging film telling the stories of three former and two 2007-2013 programme participants and how ESF funded skills and employment activity is improving their lives. Order a DVD from your CFO or embed on your website from YouTube
ESF Booklets
These include “Improving people’s lives” (produced in September 2011) reporting on activities and achievements to date and plans for 2011-2013. Good practice guides are also available.
Other promotional materials
Your CFO/funder may have produced some promotional materials for your use.
You can view and order materials to publicise EU wide ESF activity from the European Commission
You may also wish to produce your own promotional materials, such as leaflets or pens that show the ESF logo and a supporting message about EU funding, that can be displayed or handed out to participants. These should be produced from recycled/sustainable materials wherever possible.
ESF events
Organised events at ESF Managing Authority, CFO/funder, provider or sub-contractor level can cover a range of issues.
- At ESF Managing Authority level they include: conferences to launch the programme, mark its progress and share effective practice at national and local level, plus events and workshops on cross-cutting themes and other aspects of programme delivery.
- At CFO level they include the launch of CFO plans and tendering rounds, the sharing of effective practice, and the celebration of achievements.
- At provider level, they include the launch of ESF projects and match provision, visits by VIPs, the celebration of milestones and participant achievements, awards and events, including to mark the completion of projects.
We encourage all ESF funding recipients to:
- look out for and support local (and national) events that you are eligible to attend;
- consider organising events related to the delivery of your project – and to use them as publicity opportunities, for example by promoting via project partners, issuing press releases, inviting local media, etc.;
- Tell us about your event – we can publicise it in advance on the national website events diary – and after your event we can host a report and photos.
Awards
ESF awards initiatives are often linked with events, to enable the winners to be presented formally with their awards and help generate publicity for their success.
Awards are typically presented to individuals (and sometimes groups of participants) for their personal achievements or to projects for successes related to delivery of their activity to participants.
Examples of ESF Managing Authority/CFO led annual awards initiatives that have local and national dimensions are:
- Adult Learners’ Week
- ESF Equal Opportunities and Sustainable Development Leader Awards
- Cornwall Works WISE awards
- London ESF awards
We encourage all ESF funding recipients to:
- look out for details of awards initiatives from your CFO/funder, local networks and also on the ESF website and in the European Social Fund at work e-zine
- Submit nominations for awards initiatives and participate in local awards events – in discussion with your participants. In addition to generating free publicity for your project they can give a real boost to your learners – raising confidence amongst those who receive awards, and as an encouragement to others.
Organising your own awards events and Top tips
We encourage all ESF funding recipients to consider organising your own awards initiative, of whatever size, to help encourage and recognise the achievements of your participants and publicise these to a local audience. Many providers organise such events and find them beneficial.
The main stages include:
- defining the awards categories
- publicising the awards to attract nominations
- nomination (keep forms simple)
- sifting and selection of winners
- presenting the awards and publicising the winners.
Support: Your CFO and the ESF Managing Authority can provide guidance and advice and potentially help promote the winners.
Top tips when organising awards
- Golden Rule – Recognising and celebrating award winners’ achievements must always be the overarching focus of the event.
- Make it special – include something that makes winners feel special – for example hold your event in an inspirational building or location
- Limit awards categories – or it can feel like a production line, between 8 and 12 is ideal.
- Think about the day’s structure – find an inspirational host who can also cope with the unexpected. Break up the award-giving with DVDs, speakers or other activities.
- Timing is everything – 2½ to 3 hours maximum, ending with lunch or light refreshments. Make sure your speakers complement each other and are relevant to the event.
- Think about branding – do you want this to be event specific? If your awards are annual think about how any displays can be easily updated each year. A booklet detailing the awards winners adds value to the celebration and can be used afterwards as a promotional tool. Remember not to give this out until the end of the award ceremony if there are any surprise winners!
- Prepare citations in advance – taken from award applications. Ask whoever is presenting the award to read this to set the scene for the audience.
- Always give winners the opportunity to say a few words – some will just say thanks, others will tell their stories and say what winning the award means to them. This is often the best and most unexpected part of the event.
- Maximise the opportunity to promote ESF – in the publicity before and after the event. Prepare your press releases in advance. Include where the winners live to get maximum coverage from local papers. Take photographs against a backdrop of key messages – don’t forget to send the winners a copy. Tweet about the awards as they are given out.
- End the event with something unexpected – maybe a lifetime achievement or outstanding contribution award. Keep this a well guarded secret. Include more detail in the citation for this award to build up the sense of occasion. Make sure the winner has the opportunity to give an acceptance speech.
- Take group photographs of the award winners and presenters/speakers. And always remember the golden rule – it’s all about them!
Related topics
- Contractual requirements – what you must do to publicise ESF
- Social media
- The 2007-2013 England ESF programme communication plan has more information about many of the resources listed on this page