CFPs: Enhancing Employment Opportunities for Vocational Education and Training Students (Moldova)

Deadline: 25-Feb-25

The Council of Europe Project “Enhancing employment rights in the Republic of Moldova” is launching a call for proposals to award a Grant to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to enhance employment opportunities for vocational education and training students, including students with special educational needs.

This call aims to co-fund a national project to enhance the employability and social inclusion of vocational education and training (hereinafter – VET) students from vulnerable groups. In particular, the call will support actions that will enhance the skills of VET students from vulnerable groups, including those with special educational needs and disabilities in entrepreneurship and facilitate their smooth transition from education to employment.

Objective

The primary objective of the call for proposals is to enhance the employability and social inclusion of VET students from vulnerable groups. This call aims to empower VET students from vulnerable groups, including those with special educational needs and disabilities to smoothly transition from education to employment. The grant will fund a project designed to support initiatives that combine business plans development and financing, short-term internships in different public institutions, companies, social enterprises, and skills development for VET students and stakeholders involved in social integration. By engaging both VET students and stakeholders such as VET teachers, social service providers, public institutions, companies and/or social enterprises, the grant contributes to building a more inclusive society.
Further to the general objective, preference will be given to:
- Projects/actions proposed by non-governmental institutions and/or social enterprises which are aimed at:
  - Developing the entrepreneurial skills of VET students;
  - Facilitating internship opportunities for VET students at public institutions, companies, social enterprises;
  - Organising capacity enhancement and awareness raising activities for stakeholders on the social integration of people with disabilities and promotion of the employment of people from vulnerable groups;
  - Strengthening cooperation between the VET institutions, public institutions, private companies, social enterprises, and NGOs to develop sustainable solutions for employment inclusion.
- Projects/actions presenting efficient models of multidisciplinary and interagency cooperation;
- Projects/actions with concrete, practical results and measurable sustainability of the results;
- Projects/actions incorporating gender mainstreaming and practical application of the Council of Europe standards.

Funding Information

The indicative available budget under this call for proposals is 30 000 EUR (thirty thousand Euros). The Council of Europe intends to award one grant of a maximum amount of 30 000 EUR.
The implementation period of the grant project should start on 1 April 2025 and shall not extend beyond 15 September 2025.

Key Initiatives

Projects should include the implementation of the following initiative:
- Entrepreneurial Development for VET Students from eight selected VET institutions
  - Select six VET students from vulnerable groups, including those with special educational needs and disabilities from each of the eight VET institutions in cooperation with the management of these institutions;
  - Organise trainings on the development of a business plan for the selected VET students;
  - Organise a competition among selected VET students from each of the eight VET institutions to identify the best business plan, which can be prepared by an individual student, a team of two, or a group of more students.;
  - Provide financial support for the most promising business plan developed in each of the eight selected VET institutions;
- Internship Opportunities
  - Facilitate short-term internships for VET students from eight selected VET institutions at public institutions, companies, social enterprises to provide hands-on experience and build confidence;
- Capacity Development and Awareness Raising for Stakeholders
  - Raise the awareness of stakeholders on social integration of people with disabilities and promotion of the employment of people from vulnerable groups;
- Strengthening Employment Inclusion Partnerships
  - Enhance cooperation between the selected VET institutions, public institutions, companies, social enterprises, and NGOs to develop sustainable solutions for employment inclusion.

Ineligible Actions

The following types of action will not be considered:
- Projects/actions providing financial support to third parties (re-granting schemes);
- Projects/actions concerning only or mainly individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
- Projects/actions supporting political parties.

Target Stakeholders

Projects may target the following key stakeholders, but are not limited to:
- VET students from vulnerable groups, including those with special educational needs and disabilities;
- VET institutions’ managers and teachers;
- National and local authorities;
- Public institutions, companies and social enterprises;
- Civil Society Organisations;
- Youth organisations.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a grant, an applicant must:
- be legally constituted as a non-governmental organisation and/or social enterprise in the field of social human rights protection in the Republic of Moldova;
- be active for at least 2 years in the field of social human rights protection;
- have sufficient operational and professional capacity, including staff, to carry out activities described in the project proposal;
- have sufficient financial capacity (stable and sufficient sources of funding) to maintain its activity throughout the period for which the grant is awarded and to participate by way of its own resources (including human resources or in-kind contributions);
- have a bank account.

For more information, visit Council of Europe.