In the framework of MoreThanAJob "Reinforcing social and solidarity economy for the unemployed, uneducated and refugees" project, the EUROTRAINING Educational Organization organized its final event, with the aim to disseminate the results, and also those of the two sub-granted projects in Greece, to relevant stakeholders.

The event was successfully held on Friday 3/2/2023 in Il Giardino in Athens and was attended by representatives of public bodies, NGOs, educational organizations, universities, as well as organizations active in the field of Social and Solidarity Economy(SSE).

The event included a presentation of the overall implementation of the project and its results, presentations of the 2 sub-projects and their results, as well as thematic sessions with representatives of public bodies for the proposal, promotion, and adoption of new policies that will strengthen and spread to a greater extent the results of the project, and enhance its sustainability in a subsequent stage.

The subgrants were presented by representatives of KMOP and SYMPLEXIS.  The "EdAct- Educate and Act" project was presented, as well as the educational platform that was created and contains six different sections of educational material, structured by consecutive courses, including videos, evaluation tests in the form of electronic games, updated literature, scientific research, and articles. The project is oriented in the field of education with the provision of consulting services, setting as the main axis of action the organization of courses that will equip its beneficiaries with the ultimate goal of (re-)integration into the labor market and social cohesion. Beneficiaries create an account, and the admin gives them access to the course(s) they wish to attend. Until now 132 beneficiaries were enrolled in the platform. The courses offered include:

Novel Technologies in Communication:

• Digital Media Specialist
• E-commerce Systems Specialist

Provision of Services:

• Sales and Retail
• International Commerce

Agrifood:

• Food & Beverage
• Food Management

The “GuideCar- GuideYourCareer” project was also presented by SYMPLEXIS’ representatives. GuideCar is a mentorship program that gives beneficiaries the opportunity to develop the career, leadership, and diversity of skills they need to succeed in a dynamic global workforce. It features orientation sessions where program participants develop the skills necessary to maintain mutually beneficial relationships. Peers from a wide range of backgrounds met 1-to-1 to expand their perspectives and learn the skills they need to succeed in the labour market. GuideCar aims to connect the beneficiary and the staff of the bodies involved in its development, based on the principle that mentoring facilitates knowledge transfer and career development. The tool linked existing vacancy databases to information on training courses, providers, and generic occupation overviews (and the other way around). Until now, 124 beneficiaries had the chance to take part in the project and had networking opportunities with companies in their field.

Finally, an open discussion followed during which the participants had the opportunity to ask questions, express their opinion, but also propose new policies. The discussion extended to potential ideas for future projects.

The event was crowned with success, as there was a massive response to EUROTRAINING's invitation. The event was attended by 58 representatives of public authorities like the Municipality of Galatsi and Attica Region, NGOs, SSE actors, educational organizations, as well as universities, like the University of Peiraias, and National and Kapodistrian the University of Athens.

From the thematic sessions, new policy recommendations emerged and, a dialogue was opened that regarded the absorption of the project’s target group in the labor market. There is a need for an enabling policy framework to include SSE initiatives, in order to support and strengthen their activities.

Also, the need for immediate adoption of policies that refer to the following obstacles was underlined: the legislative framework is somewhat disjointed but rigid; the Public Administration's burdensome bureaucratic procedures; the SSE initiatives and organizations' various legal structures; the absence of networking activities because there is no shared platform; and the absence of a mechanism to coordinate the implementation of policy initiatives.

The event ended with a business lunch, during which the participants got to know each other in a friendly way in a relaxed atmosphere and exchanged experiences, as well as ideas for future synergies and collaborations in the field of Social and Solidarity Economy for the sound integration of unemployed, uneducated and refugees in the labor market.