Further Information : Equal Opportunities

The Equal Opportunities vision for the 2007-2013 Programmes, as set out in the Operational Programme is:

to increase the opportunities within the Programmes to support the particular disadvantages to participation

This will be delivered through two objectives:

to adjust the scope of the Programme(s) to support the particular needs of groups facing barriers to achieving sustainable employment and access to lifelong learning; and
to improve the approach to mainstreaming equal opportunities in Scotland

ESEP promote a pro-active approach to ensure that Equal Opportunities is mainstreamed as a horizontal theme in all projects. Mainstreaming is taken forward in a number of ways: through direct promotion to projects; by hardwiring the importance of equal opportunities into the eligibility criteria for project selection; through good practice dissemination, demonstration and advice provided by ESEP Ltd.

The Scottish Programmes have a twin-track or dual approach to mainstreaming equalities, combining scope for positive action - projects which target their work on individuals or groups who face particular disadvantage in accessing economic opportunities; and mainstreaming - a requirement that all funded projects evidence they address equalities in their activity.

Examples of Targeted Activities

Priority 1 ERDF - projects can take pro-active measures to ensure that skilled individuals, particularly those who are under-represented in the workforce, have the opportunity to work on supported research and innovation projects

Priority 1 ESF - projects can explicitly target groups facing discrimination and barriers in accessing the labour market; projects can provide customised support that recognises the key developmental needs and provides the most appropriate modes of skills learning for different groups

Priority 2 ERDF - support for enterprise start-ups will be monitored to ensure that key target groups are being sufficiently represented. Where under-representation is notable, support will be available to projects to address any particular issues relating to publicity and take-up as well as issues relating to entrepreneurship in certain groups

Priority 2 ESF - explicit support for projects that aim to reduce gender imbalance in the Scottish labour market; support for projects recognising the need to overcome discrimination and inequality in workplace training.

Priority 3 ERDF - where support is given for limited infrastructure developments, they will be required to demonstrate that the needs of disabled people were fully taken into account in building design

Priority 3 ESF - support for projects developing new, innovative approaches and instruments to encouraging access to lifelong learning by underrepresented groups.

Priority 4 ERDF - the rural dimension to inequality should be fully considered in project design, for example the problems of peripherality exacerbate the problems faced by some disadvantaged groups in accessing some enterprise support projects.

The ESEP approach to equal opportunities emphasises both the social justice and business cases for building equality into projects. We recognise the importance of identifying and sharing good practice, we recognise that resources must be committed to make the shift from equality policy to practice, and we understand the crucial role of partnership working in sharing expertise, advice and understanding.