European Union has launched a call for applications for the Implementation of Training and Education for Deficit Occupations.

Objectives and Priorities

The global objective of this call for proposals is to increase employment in Montenegro.

The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is to support development of 'hard to find's skills, competences, knowledge, and attitudes among the target groups and thereby enhance employability.

The target group of this CfP are, primarily, jobseekers with low level of education. or qualifications and skills not matching labour market demand and long term unemployed people across Montenegro, interested in acquiring 'hard to find' skills, competences, knowledge and attitudes. Amongst these prioritised are (explicitly, but not exclusively) women and youths.

The final beneficiaries of this CfP are employers looking to hire new employees who had developed 'hard to find' skills, competences, knowledge and attitudes through awarded actions and overall stakeholders in economy. 

The priority(ies) of this Call for Proposals (CfP) is to support activities that will increase the education levels and skills relevance of unemployed people in Montenegro and thus contribute to tackling the problem of low or inadequate qualifications and skills the jobseekers hold. Therefore, the proposed actions under the CfP should put emphasis on providing trainings and/or on-the-job support for qualifications, skills and competences identified being in deficit (e.g. qualifications and skills related to occupations demanded by employers, but not supplied, titled 'hard to find' hereinafter further). The actions preferably should include counselling and guidance, training and educational activities, on-the-job trainings, and support post-graduation to find a job. 

Funding Information

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for applications is EUR 710,730.55. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Size of grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts: 

• minimum amount: EUR 60,000.00
• maximum amount: EUR 150,000.00 

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant(s)

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: 

• be a legal person and 
• be non-profit-making or profit-making and 
• be a specific type of organisation such as:
  • non-governmental organisation (including social partners); 
  • local authority in Montenegro (i.e. municipality); 
  • public sector entity (public utility company, etc.); 
  • private sector entity (i.e. training provider etc.) or 
  • international organisation as defined by Article 156 of the EU Financial Regulation, and 
• be established in Montenegro, in a Member State of the European Union, or in any other country of the IPA II Regulation. (this obligation does not apply to international organisations) and 
• be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary. 

Co-applicant(s)

• Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
• Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
• Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.

Affiliated Entity(ies)

• The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entit (ies).
• Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
  • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
  • This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
    • Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
      • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
        • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (grandrImghter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
        • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
        • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
    • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association...) as the proposed affiliated entities. 

For more information, visit EuropeAid and download the guidelines.