W1B-019 Belfast business 3-8.txt
8 August 1994

Dear Sir/Madam, 1991-94 saw the first period of activity under the three Human Resources Initiatives, Now, Euroform and Horizon. Some 56 projects were funded in Northern Ireland over this period. A new funding round will commence early in 1995, and, as a preliminary to that, the Northern Ireland authorities (in this case the Training and Employment Agency) are anxious to take the views of as wide a spectrum of interested parties as possible. The new Initiative on Employment and the Development of Human Resources will have three strands: Now, Horizon and Youthstart.

The European and International Section of the Training and Employment Agency is charged with the task of drawing up the Operational Programme under which the initiative will operate in Northern Ireland. A draft must be with the Commission by September 30, and the final Operational Programme by October 31 1994, in order to have approval by the end of December 1994.

In order to make the new Operational Programme as responsive as possible to the needs of Northern Ireland in the area of employment and development of human resources, a period of consultation will now begin. It will be managed by the NIUETP on behalf of the Training and Employment Agency.

This will be in three stages: 1. Invitations to interested parties to submit, in writing, their views on current provision and the gaps therein, along with recommendations on how the shortfall might be addressed. 2. A series of workshops/seminars bringing together the interested parties to discuss the written submissions referred to above. 3. Production of a final report synthesising the outcomes of the workshops/seminars, and forming the basis for the new Northern Ireland Operational Programme.

I attach a copy of the Commission's guidelines on the new initiative and a copy of the report of the working group we established last December, drawn from existing NOW, EUROFORM HORIZON promoters. This is a valuable document and could be a useful starting point in your deliberations on the new Operational Programme.

Could I suggest you focus your attention on the following points: 1. Describe what you see as the current provision in Northern Ireland for your area of interest, in terms of development of Human Resources. 2. Identify what you perceive as being the short-comings of that provision, in relation to the particular groups you work with. 3. Suggest ways in which the gaps identified above could be filled by imaginative and innovative programmes of training.

We would like to have your written submissions by August 23 at the latest, and we will be running the workshops/seminars during the week beginning September 5. I realise that this timescale is fairly tight, but the Commission's calendar is dictating the pace of progress.

A further date for your diary: - November 15 Formal launch of the new initiative, Balmoral Hall, Belfast. This occasion will serve to celebrate the achievements of the current projects under NOW, EUROFORM and HORIZON, and also to launch formally the new Initiative on Development of Human Resources. The current promoters will be offered a stand at which to display their wares, and it will be open to the public and representatives of sectoral interests, government bodies and policy makers will be invited to attend. Details in due course.

I hope you will take the the time to made a written submission to us, as the content of the new Operational Programme will be directly influenced by the outcomes of the consultation process.

Yours sincerely, Pat Donnelly Director NI UETP Encl.
