The project "Training for employment in the tourism and hospitality sector in Herzegovina" which will be implemented by the Local Partnership for Employment (LPZ) Neum, Stolac and Ravno in the next 21 months was presented on Thursday July 16, 2024.in Neum. The Municipality of Neum, as the leading partner of this LPZ, in partnership with the City of Stolac, the Municipality of Ravno, the Association for Economic Development REDAH, the Employment Service HNŽ-HNK, the Nova Neum Hotel and Neum and Stolac secondary schools, is starting the implementation of project activities within the project " European Union support for local partnerships for employment - Phase II" (LEP II), financed by the European Union with 6 million euros, and implemented by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The project intends to reduce the discrepancy between the currently recorded large number of unemployed persons and the expressed need of companies from the tourism sector for certain occupational profiles. The local partnership will initiate a process with planned activities that will create methods and tools for long-term sustainability and directly contribute to the activation and employment of a certain number of people from the records of the Employment Service. The project also has the role of a pilot program for in-demand occupations on the labor market, opening opportunities for training and employment of an additional number of people in the future.
The total value of this project realized by LPZ Neum, Stolac and Ravno is 210,462.23 EUR, of which the amount of grant funds from the European Union is 166,140.00 EUR.
During the event, representatives of partner organizations and institutions signed the Partnership Agreement for the implementation of the project "Training for employment in the tourism and hospitality sector in Herzegovina".
According to Ivica Sivrić, director of REDAH, a member of LPZ, all project partners are aware of the importance of this project and their own role in joint work in establishing a functional and sustainable local partnership for employment.
"The local partnership will enable the certification of three training programs for adult education for the tourism and catering sector. The partnership intends to start a certification process for training unemployed people for the needs of the sector due to the pronounced lack of certain professions, which will open the way and encourage other interested actors to solve problems on the labor market with these methods, because the legal conditions for this have finally been created in HNK/Ž. Subsequently an adult training program for the needs of the sector will be implemented. By equipping the training area with technical equipment, by choosing a quality and practical teaching team, the desired number of young unemployed persons will be trained for three professions (cook, waiter, maid) in 6 training cycles. In the same way, jobs in companies in the sector will be provided, as well as self-employment of unemployed people. Through active measures such as the Employment Fair, promotional activities will convey information to employers about the availability of trained labor for the needs of the sector," concluded Mr. Sivric.
At the end of the presentation of the project, the first working meeting of partner organizations was held, where responsibilities were divided and deadlines were defined for the implementation of activities in the coming period, such as the certification of training programs for the occupations of cooks, waiters and maids, preparation for labor market research and promotional campaigns for informing unemployed persons.
LPZ Neum, Stolac and Ravno is one of the 26 partnerships established in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the framework of the project "Support of the European Union to local partnerships for employment - Phase II" (LEP II), which is financed by the European Union with 6 million euros, and implemented by the International Labor Organization (ILO ). This project aims to contribute to the improvement of employment in local communities through local partnerships for employment and improve the skills and opportunities for employment of persons in a disadvantageous position on the labor market.
For more information about the LEP II project, visit www.partnerstvo.ba and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube).
