LOCAL CAPACITY BUILDING FOR EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ABSORPTION OF EU STRUCTURAL AND COHESION FUNDS

Socio-economic partners on local and regional level and local NGOs in the South Central Planning Region NUTS II (Districts of Plovdiv, Pazardjik, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Kardjali): experts and representatives of regional and local employers’ organizations; experts and representatives of local NGOs operating in different spheres of the sustainable local development; experts and representatives of local enterprises;

Direct Beneficiaries:    

• 10 trainers of the target Region;
• 50 trainees of the target Region;

Indirect Beneficiaries:

• Over 30 regional and local employers’ organizations;
• Over 25 non-governmental organizations;
• Local and regional authorities in the target Region.

Activity 1: Establishment of the Project team
Project team building and selection of consultants - trainers and experts for planned activities; Implementation and specifying of the practical tasks and terms for implementation according to the prepared time schedule of the activities; Preparation of a leaflet to be disseminated among the socio-economic partners, other local NGOs, municipalities, district administrations and enterprises in the target Region at the beginning of the activity for the Project promotion; Organization of five press-conferences for the Project promotion – in Plovdiv, Pazardjik, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Kardjali;

Results:
- Prepared registers for the Project activities management and report;
- Prepared and signed contracts with the lecturers, participating in the Project implementation;
- Prepared and disseminated a leaflet in 300 copies promoting the Project activities;
- 5 press-conferences carried out.

Activity 2: Group of potential Bulgarian trainers and trainees, selected through interviews
Selection of 10 experts /representatives of socio-economic partners, other NGOs, municipalities and enterprises/ - in twos of the target Districts for participation in the “Training of trainers” workshop and for carrying out further cascading training on a local level; Signing contracts for training with the approved candidates;

Results:
- Prepared and signed contracts with the participants in the training (trainees);
- Formed 1 training group of 10 potential Bulgarian trainers to be quailfied;
- Establised 5 groups of trainees for the further cascading workshops on the territories of the five target Districts /including representatives of the employers’ organizations, other NGOs, municipalities, district administrations and enterprises/.

Activity 3: Preparation of the methodical materials for training implementation
Systematization of the methodical and training materials on a modular principle for carrying out the training, according to the special characteristics of the target group; Preparation of training materials and assessment tests in accordance with the contemporary requirements and the practical experience of the best European practices; Preparation, collection and printing of the suitable papers for trainees.

Results:
- Prepared and printed basic training materials;
- Prepared and printed assessment materials (tests).

Activity 4: Organizing and carrying out the “Training of trainers” workshop
Carrying out the training of the 10 selected Bulgarian trainers in Plovdiv.

Result:
- 10 Bulgarian trainers passed training courses and received certificates for successful participation in the training.

Activity 5: Organizing and carrying out five cascading workshops for dissemination of the knowledge of the Trainers among broader circles of local experts
Carrying out training of experts from the five target Districts in the Region (five workshops with 10 trainees participating in each of them – representatives of socio-economic partners, other NGOs, municipalities, district administrations and enterprises, selected through an interview).   

Result:
- 50 local trainees from the target Districts (Plovdiv, Pazardjik, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Kardjali) passed training courses and received certificates for successful participation of the training.

Activity 6: Promotion of the Project activities and the MATRA/KAP contribution among the socio-economic partners, administrative authorities and general public in the target South-Central Planning Region NUTS II.
Preparation and publishing of a “Project Manual” for the practical use by socio-economic partners and NGOs on local level /containing basic knowledge about EU Structural and Cohesion Funds; application procedures; eligibility criteria; tentative scope of activities and types of projects; grant schemes implementation; monitoring and evaluation; "good practices" of projects implementation/; Organization of five press-conferences in the towns of Plovdiv, Pazardjik, Haskovo, Stara Zagora and Kardjali.

Result:
- Prepared and disseminated Project Manual in 100 copies;
- 5 press-conferences organized in the target Districts;
- General public interest to the Project activities provoked.

The Project activities are expected to increase the institutional and expert capacity of regional and local authorities and their socio-economic partners in connection with the projects programming and implementation under the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds.

They are envisaged to strengthen authorised structures at regional level for carrying out the processes of elaboration, implementation and assessment of programmes based on the partnership principle and to result in greater stability, security and sustainability in the economic and social spheres development.

The proposed Project will stimulate local processes directed to social and economic cohesion in accordance with the main directions of the EU Structural Regional Policy.

The qualified trainers and trainees, gained knowledge from highly qualified experts and practical materials directed to the socio-economic partners and non-for-profit organisations, will allow the further steps towards the elaboration of a de-centralised model for programming, co-ordination and implementation of the EU Funds.

One more positive result could be the development of relationships between socio-economic partners and non-for-profit organisations as well as public-private partnerships building in the target Region.