PAPI Homocea prepares to sign new partnerships for professional training

31.01.2012

At the beginning of the year, the RECL manager in Homocea, Adina Grama, has started to identify financing opportunities of this year’s projects, as well as the national programmes financed from European funds and for which the local administration could become partners. A priority will be to continue the PAPI strategy of organising professional qualification courses , in order to help locals integrate on the job market, as well as entrepreneurial training, useful for people who want to start a small business and create jobs. ”Projects we have! I was even looking at the list of opportunities and we have announced we are available as partners. Now I would go for classes in the field of public food services. I’ve also seen English lessons available. Locals are also interested in learning jobs like waiter or chef. I asked for clarifications, because in one of the projects the type of course was not specified, and the other stated it offered courses like English and French, and training in the jobs of chef, waiter, worker in public food services and the hotel industry. I am currently awaiting answers”, the RECL manager says.

Development of agritourism, part of the local strategy

Qualification and requalification courses for such jobs respect Homocea’s local strategy to promote agritourism. Many investors in this field exist in Homocea, but the RECL manager also convinced other entrepreneurs to attend trainings as part of the Stategic Project «Entrepreneurs in Tourism – Romanian Boarding Houses”, implemented by the National Foundation of Young Managers. The programme aims to develop a community of entrepreneurs and managers of boarding homes which would benefit from training, information and consultancy, in order to develop their business. “We identified several people willing to develop a tourism business in the future and three of them have already joined. Also, we spoke with other three people in the community who are already business owners, explained the advantages of joining such a programme. They even took part in the first regional conference of the project”, RECL manager manager Adina Grama states.

Developing tourism in boarding homes is very important for Homocea, were agriculture and animal husbandry are currently the main industry. However, the locality is close to several tourist attractions. Among them there are the Sihastru and Buciumeni Monasteries, the Birth of the Theotokos Church, the monument of First World War Heroes, the Berești dam and its lakes, the rivers of Siret and Trotuș, and Munteanului Hill offering a view of the entire region.

The importance placed by the RECL manager on the diversification of the local economy has brought local entrepreneurs closer to PAPI, in order to explore the possibilities of expanding their business.

An important project for the Rroma community in Bairabace

Another component of 2012 activities is focusing efforts of the local administration, PAPI and NGOs like the «Humanitarian Support Association» and «Amaro Drom». The RECL manager and PAPI will play an important part; Adina Grama and other two representatives of local NGOs, Mihaela Nechifor and Luminiţa Prisecaru, have received the diploma of “Promoter of social responsibility”, which will lead to developing new projects and support social responsibility.

The Amaro Drom Association, through its president Vasilica Bataru Vasilica, an old partner of PAPI, will soon start implementing a large project aiming to support the Rroma community in Bairabace, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Homocea. Works will start on March 1st, with the help of the City Hall. “The project, developed in partnership with the Romanian Social Development Fund, includes an infrastructure component – laying asphalt on the road in the Baraibace neighbourhood, building the water distribution and sewerage networks, and setting up a Mediation Centre at the local stadium. We already have the building. The fund will ensure the salaries of two community mediators and a hygiene mediator for one year. We will also offer family planning services. Mediators will go in the field and talk to members of the Rroma community”, RECL manager Adina Grama says.

Projects with partners in the Netherlands, Italy and Germany

Besides these projects which follow-up last year’s strategies, in which the priorities were developing social services and professional training, new project in the fields of education and social assistance are now on the horizon, with help from partners from the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. “Two weeks ago we’ve had visitors from Italy, and we understood a new financing is set to come. Financing from the Netherlands to repair the school is also incoming. From the Nymphenburg foundation in Germay we received funds for the elderly care centre”, the manager of RECL Homocea says.

Online resources:

Entrepreneurship training for women

Free professional training and qualification courses in eight KEP communities from Vaslui and Vrancea

City Halls in 11 KEP communities to become social service centres

Keywords: HomoceaVranceaprofessional trainingentrepreneurial trainingEuropean fundsunder-privileged categorysocial servicesagritourism