FOSTERING SOCIAL INCLUSION

The main objective, to which this project contributed, was improvement of the employability of women coming from vulnerable groups at the labour market in Macedonia. The following cities were targeted: Skopje, Municipality of Suto Orizari with 46% unemployment rate, Kumanovo with 32% unemployment rate, Tetovo with 38% unemployment rate and Stip with 28% unemployment rate. The goal was to enhance the level of economic and social integration of unemployed women from minority ethnic communities, especially Roma, Albanian and Turkish communities, through opening regional training centres aimed at long-term education, pre-qualification and development of personal skills, improvement and strengthening of the relations between the offer and the demand of workforce, support and enhancement of the personal capacities and possibilities for employment and self-employment by increasing the level and acquiring appropriate practical skills. System for continuous training of specific target group was developed, aimed at increasing of the professional skills according to the previous identification of the real needs of the employers. Action for raising the awareness of the business community regarding the professional capacities of this category of people was also taken, in order to improve the economic condition in the regions, encourage institutional cooperation between the civil sector on one hand and the governmental institutions on the other hand: Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Employment Agency of Republic of Macedonia.

EPESI project objectives:

• Improvement and strengthening the relations between the offer and the demand of workforce;
• Support and enhancement of the personal capacities and possibilities for employment and self-employment through increasing the level and acquiring appropriate practical skills;
• Creating a system for continuous training of specific target group aimed at development of professional skills according to previous identification of the real needs of employers;
• Raising the awareness of the business community regarding the professional capacities of this category of people for the purpose of improvement of the economic situation in the regions;
• Encouraging institutional cooperation between the civil sector on one side and governmental institutions on other side: Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Employment Agency of Republic of Macedonia.

EPESI project target group involved long-term unemployed women from minority ethnic communities, especially members of Roma, Albanian and Turkish communities from 18 to 55 years of age in the targeted municipalities.

The final beneficiaries of the project activities were 300 families from the covered target groups.

During the project preparatory phase, a research has been conducted to assess the need of labour market where 300 women from 3 ethnic groups have been targeted.

EPESI Project was be implemented in four components and series of working activities for each component in particular.

Within this project, CES Training Centre, in cooperation with the Centre for Vocational Education and Training, conducted series of vocational trainings for unemployed women from underdeveloped rural areas of different ethnicity (Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks, and Albanians) from 4 regions: Skopje, Stip, Tetovo and Kumanovo.

These women were given the opportunity to qualify for a profession demanded in the labour market, to acquire the competencies and the opportunity to earn their own income.

111 unemployed women were trained with this activity aged 18-55, coming from less developed areas and different ethnic backgrounds and got the opportunity to qualify in a profession demanded on the labour market: hairdresser, cosmetician for face and body care, cosmetic masseur, accounting clerk.