European Social Fund in England

Cohort Survey of ESF Participants

The National Centre for Social Research is undertaking a longitudinal Cohort Survey of ESF participants covering all regions and target groups. The main aim is to provide evidence of the longer term outcomes of ESF participants. It will also provide information on participant characteristics, expectations and experiences to complement management information data. The survey comprises two waves, consisting mainly of telephone interviews supplemented by a small number of face-to-face interviews with more vulnerable individuals. The first wave was undertaken during spring and summer 2009 and consisted of 10,947 interviews (including 200 face-to-face interviews). The findings of the first wave were published on 20 July 2010. ESF Cohort Study Wave 1. Fieldwork for the second wave commenced in January 2010 and included interviews with 7,400 of the participants from the first wave. Wave 2 findings will be published in October 2010.