Supporting Skills Development of Rural Populations
PMC Research Center (PMC RC), with support from the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the European Neighborhood Programme for Agricultural and Rural Development (ENPARD), recently started a new project entitled “Development of Skills for Rural Vulnerable Groups,” aimed at helping disadvantaged rural populations to find suitable employment by acquiring skills and knowledge currently in-demand on the local labor market.
The project is being implemented in Kazbegi and Lagodekhi municipalities in partnership with local VET colleges and local businesses. The goal of the project is to improve the career planning skills of the rural population, especially women, youth, and persons not in employment, education, or training (NEET), and to promote their employment through public-private partnership.
In the first part of the project, PMC RC consultants, in cooperation with partner VET colleges, will deliver a three-day career management skills development (CMSD) workshop for the above-mentioned target group. In the second stage, PMC RC researchers will conduct a local needs-assessment study of the hospitality industry to identify the occupations in most demand in Lagodekhi and Kazbegi municipalities.
Finally, a team of qualified professionals will develop a vocational training program, tailored to the target beneficiaries of this project who will undergo intensive courses. After the training program, participants will start internships at local businesses in the hospitality industry.
Thereafter, the project team will continue to support the project participants in the workplace to make their transition into (or back into) working life as pleasant and successful for them as possible.
