Background information

'Direction – future' is an ongoing EU-funded project that aims to provide unemployed and employed people with opportunities to acquire high added-value qualifications and competences, to foster the creation of jobs that contribute to the digital or green transformation and to support the objectives of the circular economy. The aim is to help the country’s population to acquire and update in a timely manner the skills and knowledge that will enable them to benefit from automation and digitalisation and the green transformation in the workplace.

Content of measure

The project activities are as follows:

• Acquisition of qualifications and/or competences with high added value;
• Recognition of competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning;
• Support for start-ups.

Priority is given to those who are currently unemployed for which the new profession can provide a long-term employment.

For employed persons, training programmes are funded when there is a need to change job, perform new functions and/or adapt to an updated work process.

The state finances the training, provides a grant, and for unemployed persons can reimburse travel and accommodation expenses.

As the main objective is employment, it is expected that people will work in their acquired professions/ qualifications for at least 6 months after completion of the programme.

Use of measure

The project is expected to lead to the acquisition of high value-added qualifications and competences for 19,683 people and the creation of 1,325 jobs that will contribute to the digital or green transformation and support the objectives of the circular economy.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Applies to all workers	Start-ups	Other groups of citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies Other social actors (e.g. NGOs) Public employment service	European Funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Informed	Informed
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

Social partners were not directly involved, but they are members of the Tripartite Council under the Public Employment Service (PES), therefore they are informed about all activities/measures implemented by the PES.

Views and reactions

Social partners generally support very much all qualification improvements provided for the workers and unemployed, especially those related to the needs of the labour market.

Sources

• 01 October 2023: Direction - future (uzt.lt)
• 24 October 2023: PES news (uzt.lt)