Seville, 13.11.2020. The event, entitled CILIFO PROJECT – DAY: “INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN FUNDS“, aimed to share programme and European funding opportunities to support young people, companies and command operations in the forest fire prevention and extinction sector, through training initiatives that favour recruitment in CILIFO’s areas and themes, generating opportunities at local and regional level in the project’s intervention territory, the Euroregion Alentejo-Algarve-Andalusia.
On Friday 13 November 2020 and on the occasion of European Vocational Skills Week (EVSW), the webinar CILIFO PROJECT – DAY: “INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN FUNDS” took place.
This event was organised by the Finnova Foundation within its actions as the beneficiary of the CILIFO Project, funded by the Interreg POCTEP (2014-2020) programme, with the function of providing information on European financial sources to CILIFO’s target audience, interested in the issues of forest fire prevention and extinction, adaptation and mitigation to climate change, as well as employment development opportunities in rural areas and the fight against depopulation.
Experts in the CILIFO project and the environmental and fire issues related to the project took part in the event to explain the project’s actions aimed at training firefighters and other groups working in the prevention and extinction of forest fires, and the conservation of our natural habitat. There were also experts in the field of European training and labour insertion programmes, such as Interreg Volunteer Youth, Erasmus+ and Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. There were also success stories of these programmes, to show how these initiatives have been a great boost to improve their professional experience.
The speakers at the event were Mr. Juan Sánchez, technical director of the CILIFO project and director of the Regional Operational Centre (INFOCA); Ms. Isabel Benjumea, MEP, member of the European Parliament; Mr. Andreas Karadakis, project technician at the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR); Ms. Ana Dias, coordinator of the TecMinho e-learning centre, University of Minho interface; Mr. Tiago Nascimento, CEO of C4G, Lisbon Local Contact Point for information on Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs; Mr. Juan Besari, Director of the StartUp Exponentia Team; Mr. Nuno Guiomar, researcher at the University of Évora, a beneficiary university of the CILIFO project; Mr. Fernando Fraga, Head of Innovation at Acredita Portugal, and Mr. Juan Viesca, Director of European Funds at the Finnova Foundation.
All these experts agreed on the importance of the regions being aware of and taking advantage of the funding opportunities provided by the European Green Pact, the Cohesion Funds and the Recovery Fund in order to be able to present entrepreneurial projects, especially at the height of the Covid-19 crisis. Therefore, they agree that these funds are a great opportunity for qualified young people to benefit from this European aid, either to get practical work experience in companies abroad, or to start their career as entrepreneurs in the business world, all with the support of the EU through programmes such as Interreg Volunteer Youth, Erasmus+ and Erasmus para Jóvenes Emprendedores.
To view the Interreg Volunteer Youth presentation, click here
To view the Erasmus + presentation, click here
To view the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs presentation, click here
To view the Targeted training for agents of the national forest fire protection system presentation, click here
These programmes are particularly useful for start-ups and SMEs in the forest fire sector and for management operations (including firefighters) and for young people who want to find a professional future in the field of forest fire prevention and extinction, adaptation and mitigation of climate change in rural areas. In this regard, the project as CILIFO has a wide training programme that goes through several target groups, from operational personnel of fire prevention and extinction plans, professionals and civil servants of the sector, companies and entrepreneurs, teachers and teaching staff.
The European Vocational Skills Week, organised by the European Commission, is an annual event during which local, regional or national organisations showcase the best of vocational education and training (VET) – a sector capable of empowering all people with the skills they need for a fulfilling personal and professional life. After five editions, the event has become a sought-after exchange platform for VET stakeholders around Europe and beyond.
This year’s edition will be a hybrid event taking place in-person in Berlin (Germany) and digitally across the EU from 9-13 November 2020. The Week 2020 will play a particularly important role, given the challenges Europe’s VET community is facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an unrivalled forum for identifying common problems and exchanging solutions.
The focus of the 2020 edition will be on “VET for Green and Digital Transitions” in line with the Commission’s priorities on a European Green Deal and a Europe fit for the digital age.
The overall objectives of the Week are to:
- Showcase the many ways VET can help young people and adults to ‘discover their talent’ and prepare today for Europe’s economy of the future.
- Demonstrate to employers the enormous benefits of investing in human resources by supporting the initial training of young people, as well as the upskilling and reskilling of adults, particularly in a post-COVID-19 world.
- Validate the choices people make when they choose VET, by showing its competitive value.
- Develop an awareness of European Vocational Skills Week, building on the success of previous campaigns.
VET IN EUROPE
- The employment rate of recent VET graduates in Europe is 78.9 % (2019). Source: Eurostat – Employment rates of recent graduates, pg. 2
- 8 % of Europe’s population aged 25 to 64 participate in adult learning (2019). Source: Eurostat – Adult learning statistics
- 60 % of VET graduates find their first long-term job within a month of finishing their studies (80 % after six months) (2018). Source: A quick guide to EU action on vocational education and training pg. 11
- 29 % of individuals have low overall digital skills (2019). Source: Eurostat
- The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the existing digital skills gap, and new inequalities are emerging. Source: European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, pg. 1
CILIFO
The project “Iberian Centre for Research and Fight against Forest Fires” (CILIFO) focuses on the fight against forest fires and their consequences for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change; within a framework of cross-border cooperation for the prevention of risks and the improvement of the management of natural resources in Spain and Portugal in the area of the Euroregion Alentejo – Algarve – Andalusia. CILIFO falls under Thematic Objective 5 of the POCTEP Programme: Promoting adaptation to climate change in all sectors; and responds to the investment priority, with respect to the POCTEP Programme, 5B: Promoting investment to address specific risks and ensuring adaptation to disasters and development of disaster management systems.
With a duration of three years (2019 to 2021), it aims, through the results of its activities, to establish itself as a permanent centre for the promotion and development of training, awareness, development and innovation, and inter-regional cooperation in the fight against forest fires.
CILIFO is being developed thanks to the collaboration of a public-private partnership, led by the Andalusian Regional Government and made up of public research bodies, non-profit-making public interest entities and public administrations, all with the common objective of fighting forest fires.
Website: https://cilifo.eu/
FINNOVA FOUNDATION
FINNOVA is a non-profit European foundation, with headquarters in Belgium-Brussels, and offices and branches in Spain (Seville, Valencia, Tenerife, Madrid and Vitoria), whose main purpose is to seek international funding related to the transfer of new technology, modernisation, training and innovation for regional or local public administrations. Its main objective is to promote international and inter-regional cooperation through networks and events, its main fields of work being the environment, energy, climate change, innovation and improvement of the quality of life.
Website: www.finnova.eu
CONTACT
For more information or specific requests, please email navarro@finnova.eu and projects@finnova.eu.
EUROPEAN VOCATIONAL SKILLS WEEK
Website: ec.europa.eu/social/vocational-skills-week
Twitter: @EU_social @EuropeanYouthEU #EUVocationalSkills #DiscoverYourTalent
Facebook: @socialeurope @EuropeanYouthEU
