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Description
Socially disadvantaged young people (orphans, half-orphans, the unemployed, including Roma) feel challenged to integrate in the society. This is largely due to social isolation and missing or inappropriate qualifications at the end of their education in school. The project aims at empowering vulnerable groups by creating opportunities for social integration and professional fulfillment. The project goal fully corresponds to the specific objective of the thematic outcome Support for economic inclusion of vulnerable groups. The goal is to train 50 socially disadvantaged young people from small settlements along the Northern Black Sea Coast for 18 months to attain the qualifications of “Diver” and “Shipmaster of ships up to 40 GT” and join the maritime community. Having such qualifications, either one or both of them, will be enough for employability. Such qualifications are generally accepted and sought on the labour market and it also allows for upskilling or finding a job with the Bulgarian Navy, Navigation Maritime Bulgare and private maritime companies. The main final beneficiaries of the implemented project activities will be 50 socially disadvantaged young people, 20 of them Roma. The implemented activities will have impact on both their families and relatives and local communities in general.
Summary of project results
The main objective of the project was to empower vulnerable groups by creating the opportunity for social integration and professional realization.
"Maritime Academy 2019-2020" helped to integrate young people of different ethnic backgrounds, who are unemployed or with low incomes, into the economic and social life of society by providing the opportunity for realization in two sought-after and interesting professions. 74 young people from places along the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast went through trainings for acquiring the legal capacity for "Diver" and/or "Driver of vessels of up to 40 gross register tons (GRT)". 23 of them received certificates in both maritime specialties.
Within the project 8 courses were held – 4 for acquiring the legal capacity for "Diver" and 4 for acquiring the legal capacity for "Driver of vessels of up to 40 GRT". The certificates received by the trainees are internationally recognised. Important is also the increased self-esteem of the trained young people, who have become part of the maritime community. Together or individually, this type of qualification is sufficient grounds for professional realisation, and some of them have already received offers for professional realization through their newly-acquired specialties.
The certificates received make it possible to practice this type of maritime profession also forward in time depending on the different life situations in which the youngsters will find themselves.
Another important result of the project is that the Marine Club "Friends of the sea" has built lasting partnerships with the institutions of the settlements on the northern Black Sea coast.