Project title: Break-through by learning! - To improve the chances of employment for under-priviliged layers via cross-border employment.
Acronym: Break-through!
Timeframe: 2012.04.01. - 2013. 03.31.
Lead partner: "Életminőség" Segélyező, Felvilágosító és Megelőző Alapítvány
Project partner: Association for Business Promotion in Romania (ABPR)
Grant: 156.424,82 EUR
Grant rate: 95 % (HU) és 98% (RO)
Contributory organisation: VÁTI Nonprofit Kft.
Managing authority: Közös Technikai Titkárság VÁTI Nonprofit Kft. - central office

Short summary:
The Életminőség Foundation and the Romanian Enterprise Development Association set up this project with the purpose of helping and supporting the disadvantged,underprivileged, non-skilled, or career starting people (largely women) (32 HU + 32 RO)on both sides of the border and to provide them with the option of cross-border training or employment. The novelty of the project is that it provides the target groups not only with technical training (degree), but they also receive specific information via individual and team counselling that increases their chances to find employment on the other side of the border. The target group is very large in both Hajdú-Bihar and Bihor counties.

Problems and challanges:
There is a great need both in our county and the other side of the border for complex, integrated, and differentiated programmes. Due to the lack or outdated nature of their qualifications, women starting a career or unemployed on the long term have no appropriate work experience. Therefore they cannot find employment in the primary labour market. The scarcity of capital in businesses is also a significant problem, resulting in a very low number of new investments. The mobility of the population reaches 17% and it shows continuous increase due to the lack of local employment opportunities. The ratio of people with primary level (primary school) or even lower qualifications is 50% in Hajdú-Bihar – Bihor counties. The escape to inactivity from unemployment has also significantly increased the proportion of inactive earners in the total population. The high scale of women’s long-term unemployment justifies the implementation of the project. With the development of the target group and with the organisation of their professional training, we reach a status of “being ready to work”. Studying the employers’ side, there are numerous professions where finding employment is not possible due to the lack of qualifications. Matching supply and demand can be considered as one of the major goals of the project. In accordance with this, we implement trainings to which there is a significant demand from the employers’ side as well on any side of the border.

Added value of the project: Added values of the project: improving the rate of employment of people with multiple disadvantages living in the region, by means of education, team-building and career guidance related training. This employment stimulating activity and service package can serve as a model for other regions. Besides all this, the project is the result of a remarkable cooperation with the selected partner.
The developed project activities fit into the confirmed cooperation of EU member states and the European Commission: strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training “2020”. The objectives of the project can be found in the programme ÉSZAK-ALFÖLDI REGIONÁLIS SZAKKÉPZÉS - FEJLESZTÉSI STRATÉGIA 2009-2013 (Northern Great Plain Regional Professional Training Development Strategy 2009-2013). The activities of the project fit into the objectives of the North-Western Region’s Development Strategy and can be found in the Social-Economic Development Strategy of Hajdú-Bihar County.
The aimed activity to be applied is significant in the objectives of the programme as it advocates and supports the development of a permanent cooperative network between border zones, communities, the cooperation of border communities and economic operators for facilitating the development of a joint cooperative zone, with the utilization of advantages of the border zone. The present activity is significant in the 2nd priority of the programme: strengthening social and economic cohesion of border areas, key area of intervention. 2.3 Cooperation in the labour market and education–joint development of knowledge and skills. 2.3.2 “Labour market cooperation”, as the main activity of the project, aims to provide competitive and practical knowledge to participants through the effective and successful organisation of the training programme. Besides these, it is a short-term objective that the acquired knowledge can be applied in practice immediately by those participating in the training.
Together with our partner, the Association for Business Promotion in Romania (ABPR), we are planning the implementation of a project based on the implementation of a national (TÁMOP) project. In this project we support the re-integration of people with disadvantages into the labour market with the help of trainings and activities. During the partner meetings it was revealed that a cross-border application with similar principles would offer additional possibilities for the target group, with the provision of greater opportunities. The programme is implemented in collaboration. The lead partner is the Foundation, thus it is responsible for the substantive and financial implementation of the project in accordance with the planned schedule. Almost all of the project activities are implemented jointly, with continuous contact. The search for the target group, on the basis of jointly written leaflets and letters, takes place at the same time. Following this, the arrangement of the trainings takes place simultaneously on both sides of the border. ABPR organizes the regular transportation of Romanian students to Debrecen after the trainings so that the students involved in Romania can participate in activities and practical trainings together with students in Debrecen.

Direct beneficiaries:
Offering a complex, personalized service, providing human resource and labour market development, reintegration, improving employability and employment for people living in the area of the project’s implementation (32 people – Hajdú-Bihar county, 32 people – Bihor county) who are unemployed, inactive earners and dependants, disadvantaged in the labour market, with low level of education, in certain cases of Roma origin. Establishment and operation of mediatory mechanisms that help the coordination, cooperation of the activities of foreign partners, institutions, and organizations involved in the reduction of unemployment, and the formation of their partnerships. During the preparation, we involved into the project all the experts of the institutions and the project partner who will be in contact with the target group during the duration of the project. We have incorporated their opinion into the project, all those needs that emerge by the target group in connection with the project.

Indirect beneficiaries:
Family members of people participating in the training and the employers are indirect beneficiaries. At the employers’ of the sub region, on the basis of surveys there is a demand for people seeking employment with a qualification that can be attained during the project (eco producer with greenhouse technology). It is an added value for the project that the unemployed get OKJ (National Training Registry) certificates, with which we ensure local employment, and employees can take advantage of the opportunities of practical training on the local level. This way the employer is motivated to employ a higher number of people in a way that they can use a 95% state subsidy, for which we offer help.

Added value for the target group:
The target group of the project consists of adult residents who cannot find employment in the settlement or in the region due to their disadvantaged position, or who are hindered from competing in the intense labour market competition against jobseekers living in large cities or close to the agglomeration. The main objective of the project is to directly provide the opportunity of local adult education for the unemployed living in the area of the programme’s implementation. Participants learn a profession and they can get employment at the end, at the place of their practical training. This is spent by the participating students at the eco-farm in Tiszacsege,where besides field training they also become familiar with the place and in all probability they will be capable of independent work immediately after completion. During field training the students become familiar with the career opportunity offered by the “workplace”, and receive guidance for the implementation of career plans.