The measure is designed for employers who are being pushed by the recession to scale down operations and lay off workers. As part of the project employers can receive funds to offer training courses for at-risk employees, which will allow employees to improve their specialist knowledge or build transferable skills. This will also give the employers some leeway for addressing the HR situation in their companies. The level of public funding depends on company size and the target group of employees; employees with physical and other disadvantages are also included.
A total of 500 million CZK was earmarked for the first stage of the “Get into Training!” project, which ran from March until June this year with the participation of 923 companies. They submitted a total of 3,677 applications, of which 3,237 were approved by labour offices. The rate of success was 93%, with 57,454 employees participated in the training. A total of 336 million CZK was spent during the first stage of the “Get into Training!” project.
For the second stage of the “Get into Training!” project, which started in August 2009, a total of 1 billion CZK has been set aside. It is already clear that, after less than four months of implementation, employer interest greatly exceeds the financial resources available. In 2010 the project budget will be increased by another 1.5 billion CZK. This means that there will be some 3 billion CZK allocated for the two stages of the project. (These are ESF resources from the Operational Programme Human Resources and Employment and the Operational
Programme Human Resources Development.)
The “Training is a Chance” project
This measure is implemented via grant schemes: companies present projects and apply for resources. Employers can obtain financial resources to implement training courses for their employees; to develop training programmes including the training of internal lecturers and instructors; to introduce HR development and management schemes in companies; and other similar activities. Funding depends on company size and the target group of employees. A clear preference is given to improving transferable skills such as languages and ICT, rather than company-specific training. The objective is to boost the employability and mobility of the workforce. Project proposals may be submitted until the end of 2009.
Source: ReferNet CZ ( www.mpsv.cz )