Objective:
The aim of the ESF social partner guideline "Shaping change in work through social partnership: further training and promoting equality" is to strengthen the social partnership-based shaping of the world of work and to promote a sustainable personnel policy and corporate culture. To this end, funding is provided for projects aimed at strengthening the participation of women in the workforce in line with their qualifications and livelihoods and testing new forms of work and working time models.

As part of the directive, social partnership measures are being developed and tested in four areas of activity:

• Promoting further training in times of change
• Shaping equality
• Regional alliances to strengthen further training and/or equality in SMEs
• Model development of innovative approaches to strengthen further training and/or equality

For more information on the individual areas of activity, please refer to the presentation on the funding program.

Tariff parties and social partners as well as legal entities under private and public law and legal partnerships with a permanent establishment or branch in Germany; Public companies.

The measures must be developed and tested based on specific operational needs.

The interests of management and employees must be taken into account. Pure research projects, training projects in the sense of initial vocational training and pure qualification measures are not eligible for funding.

The operational approach must be demonstrated at the time of the expression of interest through operational letters of intent. A proven social partnership approach to project desing, implementation and transfer of project results is also required. The involvement of the relevant social partners or company stakeholders in the implementation and transfer of the project must be specifically explained in the Action Plan and will be assessed in accordance with the selection criteria in the call for expression process.

The social partnership approach must be demonstrated in the application: The duration of approval for an individual project is normally up to 3 years.

A total of EUR 110.5 million in ESF Plus funding is available in the "Wandel der Arbeit" program for an anticipated six calls for funding.

Total expenditure is limited to a maximum of EUR 2 million per project.

The following costs are eligible for funding:

• Direct personnel costs: Expenses for internal and external project staff (honorary staff who develop and implement teaching and learning concepts). Only honorary expenses can be claimed as external personnel costs.
• All other eligible costs (e.g. material costs such as rent, teaching materials, operation of learning platforms, acquisition costs, public relations work and administration and management costs) are covered as a lump sum amounting to 24 % of the direct eligible personnel costs*.
• Personnel costs for participants in continuing education (release costs; only as funds provided to the project by third parties): The personnel costs of the released persons and managers are covered under this guideline at a standard unit rate of standard unit rate of €33.00 per hour (60 minutes) and participant. The residual lump sum of 24 % does not apply to these costs.
• Personnel costs for project pilots from the beneficiary companies or social partners participating social partners will also be charged at a standard unit rate of €33.00 per hour (60 min.) per project pilot. The use of project pilots must be agreed in advance with the employer in advance and subsequently confirmed by the employer. Absences cannot be taken into account. The 24% residual cost does not apply to these expenses.

No other expenses can be claimed in addition to the above.

* If the direct personnel costs relate to expenditure based on fee agreements, these can only be fully taken into account in the calculation of the lump sum if the fee earner uses the infrastructure of the beneficiary (e.g. premises, office material, etc.) and the invoiced fee amounts are not used to reimburse travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. Otherwise, the flat rate does not apply to the fee agreement.

(This is only a tranlastion - the German eligibility rules apply.)

• The 5th funding call runs from 01 July 2024 to 06 September 2024 (3 pm).

The EPC accompanies the projects of the TU Dresden in accordance with the communication of the Vice Rector for Research 2/2023 and must be involved in the two-stage application process. The EPC advises on funding conditions and the application process, is authorised to provide legally binding signatures for the project management organisation and has central access to the funding portal for submitting the application.

The application process is preceded by an Expression of Interest (EoI) procedure. Interested applicants should submit their project concept to the EPC (epc@tu-dresden.de) by 23 August  2024 (12:00) at the latest, as further enquiries and coordination are required before the submission of the expression of interest (calculation, network partners, etc.).

The final submission of the EoI will be made by the EPC via the Z-EU-S funding portal. The Programme Steering Group will then propose to the funding provider which of the EoI participants can submit a technical application for funding.

The Expressions of Interest (EoI) will be evaluated on the basis of the following selection criteria and weightings:

• Suitability of the applicant and, if applicable, the sub-project partners (10%)
  • Professional qualifications/previous experience of the applicant and, if applicable, of the sub-project partners in the relevant field of action
  • Relevant cooperation partners and networks according to the field of activity
  • Proof of involvement of social partners or company parties and companies (LOI, agreements, list of companies, etc.)
  • Relevant experience in managing of funding projects

• Analysis of the initial situation and the need for action (10%)

  • Concrete presentation of the regional and/or industry-specific/sectoral need for action in relation to the selected field of action

  • Demarcation and synergies/links to relevant support landscapes or strategies (in particular with regard to the funding initiatives mentioned under 1.1)

  • Focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

  • Focus on target groups identified in the guidelines that have been previously disadvantaged in the context of organizational and human resource development in enterprises

• Action plan and milestones (30 percent)
  • Appropriate and understandable qualitative and quantitative objectives
  • Congruent implementation concept including milestone plan: appropriate activities to achieve the objectives, formats appropriate to the target group, expected results, division of tasks between the project partners, appropriate quantity structures for staff deployment
  • Strategic and active involvement of social partners and company stakeholders
• Approaches to take into account the concerns of employees and company management Added value of the project (15 %)
  • Innovative approach that addsadded value to existing standards
  • Regional and/or industry-specific / sectoral relevance to collective bargaining, company/workplace, industry, further training and/or equality policy issues
• Cross-cutting principles (10 percent)
  • Consistent integration of the cross-cutting principles (gender equality and anti-discrimination) in the action plan (initial analysis, objectives and implementation concept)
  • Consideration of the goal of environmental sustainability in project implementation (procurement processes, business trips, etc.)
• Transfer and sustainability (15 percent)
  • Specific identification of transferable results and appropriate transfer pathways
  • Milestone plan for implementation of transfer activities: appropriate activities to achieve the objectives, formats adapted to the target group, expected results
  • Involvement of the social partners in transfer and sustainability strategies
  • Regional and/or industry-specific/sectoral potential for sustainability
• Financing plan (10 percent)
  • Adequate staffing levels
  • Comprehensible presentation of own and third-party funds to ensure overall financing

Once the funding agency has made its decision, participants in the selection process whose projects have been positively evaluated, will be invited to submit a formal funding application to the DRV KBS via the funding portal Z-EU-S (https://foerderportal-zeus.de), which will then make the final decision.

• Amendment to the notice of the ESF Social Partners Directive
• https://www.esf.de/portal/DE/ESF-Plus-2021-2027/Foerderprogramme/bmas/wandel_der_Arbeit.html
• https://www.wandelderarbeit.de/
• Factsheet Change in work

• Project concept template

• TUD-EPC Privacy Policy

• Communication from the Vice-Rector Research 2/2023

• Presentation_Information_Event.pdf