Five KEP communities in Bucovina train their managers to get European funds
05.08.2010
| The lack of experience in writing and implementing projects financed by the European Union will be a thing of the past for managers in five localities in Botoşani County. They’ve decided to use the CONECT programme in order to get training for local civil servants. Trainees will learn all about “Project management” and will receive CNFPA certificates to prove their newly acquired skills. |
For the City Hall in Brăeşti, the CONECT programme was an opportunity to get the funds necessary to train its employees. They will acquire new skills that will help them get European funds for the development of local projects. The CONECT submission is called “Local development through projects”; the main applicant is the Brăeşti commune, the partner is the commune of Vlăsineşti, but the project is also directed at three other communes in Botoşani: Hudeşti, Cristineşti and Drăguşeni. The purpose is to organise a qualification course for project managers, so that people in the 5 KEP communities become specialised in writing and implementing European-financed projects, coordinate them as project managers or working as members of the implementation team. At graduation, the future managers will be certified by the National Further Education Council (CNFPA). “We’ve noticed there is a lack of expertise in an area that’s very important nowadays, vital even: writing and implementing European-financed programmes. So we’ve written this project in order to transfer expertise towards the personnel In local administration. CNFPA certification is a guarantee on the quality of such a course”, Brăieşti IT manager Lenuţa Bitu says.
Acquired skills
The Project Manager Certificate the CNFPA grants acknowledges all the necessary skills for one to be a project manager – code COR 241919. Such a training prepares the future manager for all the important stages in the life of a project, from selected a financing line, transforming an idea into a draft by applying principals of project management, filling in the financing request and effectively coordinating the project’s implementation and later evaluation. The classes mean the theoretical knowledge will come from teachers already authorised as project managers, with experience in writing and implementing European projects, will also practical activities, from tests and application to filling in a financing request.
Such a training programme includes the following topics: Methods to analyse necessities; Essential elements of project planning (defining the problem, establishing the general and the specific aims, activities, resources and budget); analysing risk; acquisition procedures; project implementation – monitoring and evaluation; project team; information and publicity; project sustainability; filling in a financing request; reporting and reimbursing.
Expenses that are not eligible without CNFPA certification
Local authorities hope the training will increase the absorption rate of European funds in all the five communes in Botoşani. The future graduates are those who will have to get financing that will ensure the strategies already established by the Local Councils will become reality. In Brăeşti, developing local strategies and implementing them followed the 3rd project carried out: the appearance of RECL after including Brăeşti in the Knowledge-based Economy Project (KEP). The first two projects that solved part of the locals’ problems were creating the fresh water supply system and repairing the road between Brăeşti and Poiana.
All localities still have to implement such projects. From January 2010, the salaries of trainers or project managers without a CNFPA certificate will be considered non-eligible expenses in POSDRU projects.
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Keywords: project managerEuropean fundsEuropean financing