08.01.2021

We educate adults from vulnerable groups with BGN 15 million from the EU

Persons over 16 years of age without education will be trained

Adults from the vulnerable groups will be included in literacy and competence acquisition courses to acquire primary education or the first stage of high school (ie - to have completed 10th grade). The goal is to get a better realization on the labor market through education. This will be done through the gratuitous provision of BGN 15 million under the Operational Program "Science and Education for Smart Growth", which is funded by the EU.

The funds will be allocated on a project basis under procedure BG05M2OP001-3.020 "Adult Literacy-2", and the approved proposals can receive between BGN 250,000 and 750,000. They can be directed to persons over 16 years of age, who, however, have not completed classes from the primary or lower secondary stage, dropped out of the education system, illiterate or illiterate persons, unemployed or persons seeking or receiving protection.

The projects will be implemented in Bulgaria in partnership between schools, personal development support centers and non-profit legal entities. Municipalities, the Employment Agency through the directorates of the Labor Office, the Regional Departments of Education, the Agency for Social Assistance through the territorial directorates of Social Assistance, and the State Agency for Refugees can be included as associate partners.

Among the activities that will be encouraged under the procedure is the re-inclusion in the education system of persons who have reached the age of 16 but have dropped out of school and/or do not have primary education. To this end, they will first have to be found, and then through personal counseling and family work to be motivated to participate in literacy and junior high school skills courses or to validate their results from the informal training and informal learning for acquiring an educational degree/stage of primary education. The goal for those who already have a primary education certificate is to be encouraged to continue their education in a higher level of education - the first stage of high school education - 8-10 grade, and the second stage of high school education - 11-12 grade.

Projects may also provide for literacy courses or the acquisition of competences from the lower secondary stage of primary education for persons over 16 years of age, who shall then complete an examination. Those who pass them will receive certificates for the acquired skills.

The persons who will be included in the projects will be helped to make the transition from education to realization on the labor market. This will be done by informing about the presentation of suitable professions with the help of group / individual activities for acquaintance with professions, consulting according to the education acquired under the project for adaptation of the labor market at regional or local level.

The deadline for application/submission of project proposals is 31.03.2021, 17:30. Project proposals are submitted by applicants only in electronic format, signed with a qualified electronic signature (QES).

More information can be found here.