Norway Grants and EEA Grants 2014–2021
Working together for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe.

Increasing Employment Potentials in the Pomurje Region (TALENT LAB)

Programme area:

Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship

Outcome:

Education and social environment to support disadvantaged groups improved

Output:

Support to youth provided

Project title:

Increasing Employment Potentials in the Pomurje Region

Project acronym:

TALENT LAB

Project Promoter:

Pomurje Technology Park, Ltd

Project Partners:

Partner 1: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities (NOR)
Partner 2: University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Partner 3: School of Economics Murska Sobota
Partner 4: Bilingual Secondary School Lendava
Partner 5: Biotechnological School Rakičan
Partner 6: Secondary School for Catering and Tourism Radenci

Start of the project:

01/09/2022

End of the project:

30/04/2024

Co-financing source:

Norway Grants and corresponding Slovenian contribution

Total eligible project expenditure (EUR):

409,945.49

Project grant (EUR):

409,945.49

Main project results:

Improved support environment and provision of services for young people through the introduction of new or upgraded services, training of various target groups and activities aimed at networking, training and counseling for young people.

Project summary:

The project focuses on increasing the employment potential of young people in the Pomurje (Mura) region, notably where the need for a developed support environment is most pronounced. The project activities are aimed at strengthening the capacity of the existing support environment, and connecting educational institutions and the economy in the region; they are also focused on testing the scheme of practical work for young people on the basis of identified professional challenges by companies. The youth and the labour market analyses show that youth unemployment is most problematic in the east of Slovenia, especially in the Pomurje (Mura) region, where young people make up for over a quarter of all unemployed. Additionally, the age structure of the population in Pomurje is the least favorable, as the share of young people in the population structure is the lowest and the labour force participation rates record lowest figures among all Slovenian regions. The population dynamics in Pomurje shows that 131,272 people lived in Pomurje in 1990, with the number decreasing gradually on a year-on-year basis (emigration of young people), so that in 2019 the population in Pomurje was by 13% lower than in 1990. Most young people do not return to the region after finishing their studies in Maribor or Ljubljana, while young people with completed vocational education look for opportunities in neighboring Austria.

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