In this project, I analysed the success of projects funded by European Social Fund (ESF) and the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), which I have obtained from their generous database. I have a noble quest: to analyze the projects and investments of the ESF and the YEI, and to reveal their patterns, trends, and impacts. I do not want to merely show numbers and tables; I want to tell a story that will enlighten and inspire my audience. And so I explore the data with my faithful companion, a Power BI dashboard, and I report my findings in a clear and engaging manner.
I have made many wonderful discoveries, such as:
- Most of the projects are accepted and completed successfully, showing their quality and efficiency.
- The number of projects reached its peak in 2015 and then declined gradually until 2021, when it fell to almost zero due to the dreadful plague that afflicted the world.
- The majority of the projects (97.7%) are funded by ESF, while only a small fraction (2.3%) are funded by YEI.
- The most common priority for the projects is 9i - Active inclusion, including with a view to promoting equal opportunities and active participation, and improving employability. This priority accounts for 28.6% of all projects, showing their social and humanistic value.
- The second most common priority is 8i - Access to employment for job seekers and inactive people, including the long term unemployed and people far from the labour market, also through local employment initiatives and support for labour mobility. This priority accounts for 23.4% of all projects, showing their economic and practical value.
- The least common priority is 10iv - Improving the labour market relevance of education and training systems facilitating the transition from education to work, and strengthening vocational education and training systems and their quality, including through mechanisms for skills anticipation, adaptation of curricula and the establishment and development of work based learning systems, including dual learning systems and apprenticeship schemes. This priority accounts for only 11.7% of all projects, showing their educational and innovative value. The majority of the projects are led by the Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion department, which is responsible for 75.8% of all projects. They are the true heroes of this story.
- The countries that participated in the projects were grouped into four categories based on their average performance across all metrics: high performers, above average performers, below average performers, and low performers. I salute them all for their efforts and achievements.
- The current dataset contains only operational programmes. Technical Assistance Programme is not included in this list. This is not a flaw or a mistake; it is simply a limitation that I have to accept. I hope that my audience will understand and appreciate my work nonetheless.
- The investment in job search was at its highest level of effectiveness between 2019 and 2020, showing its timeliness and relevance. But it suffered a significant drop in 2021, due to the dreadful plague that afflicted the world.
- Spain was the most successful country in this area, followed by Germany and Poland. They were the champions of job search, helping many people find work and dignity.
- For education and training, the picture was different: Ireland and Estonia also shone brightly along with Germany. They were the champions of education and training, helping many people acquire skills and knowledge.
- Investment in gaining a qualification was as effective as investment in job search. Spain had the same value in both indicators, and Germany also had a very high level in both. They were the champions of qualification, helping many people obtain certificates and degrees.
- Poland had strong positions in investment in employment, both at the time of leaving the programme and six months after leaving. They were the champions of employment, helping many people secure stable and lasting jobs.
- Overall for all four indicators, Spain was leading by a margin, followed by Germany and Poland. They had the best results in 2018 and 2021. They were the champions of all indicators, helping many people achieve various outcomes.
- Italy was leading in effectiveness of investment in employment six months after leaving the programme, followed by Poland and France. They were the champions of long-term employment, helping many people maintain their jobs after leaving the programme.
- There was a significant strong effect of investments into gaining a qualification across all indicators, meaning that this type of investment had a positive impact on various outcomes for participants. This was a remarkable finding that confirmed the value of education for all.
- There was also a significant strong effect of investments into employment, but with more variation across indicators and countries. This was an interesting finding that showed the diversity and complexity of employment for all.
Additionally, I performed a deeper analysis on four specific indicators: investment in job search, investment in education and training, investment in gaining a qualification, and investment in employment. I used regression models to measure the effectiveness of these investments on different outcomes such as employment rate, income level, job satisfaction, and social inclusion.
You can find more details about my analysis and the code I used in this repository.
https://www.novypro.com/project/european-social-fund-success-rate-analysis
https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/6dsf-6m94?locale=en
https://ec.europa.eu/sfc/sites/default/files/QG%20pdf/CCI_0.pdf