How to learn new skills in Georgia

Entrepreneurship

EU4Business

If you are setting up or have a small business, the EU4Business initiative offers a wide range of advice and consultancy services to help you take the next step in developing your business. Visit the EU4Business page for full details of projects that you can apply to, as well as examples of successful beneficiaries. The programme also offers loans and grants for small businesses.

Action Impact Fund

Actio is an impact investment fund for social enterprises in Georgia, operated and managed by the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG). The fund was developed as a part of the EU-funded, “Collaborate For Impact” project, which aims to develop social entrepreneurship and social investment in the Eastern Partnership countries. Actio aims at empowering social enterprises to scale up their business activity, as well as increase their social and environmental impact. Click here for latest news and opportunities.

EU4Youth

The EU4Youth programme will soon launch a series of projects aimed at developing digital skills among young people, especially in disadvantaged communities, and for the development of social entrepreneurship and career management skills, linked to the promotion of youth entrepreneurship in the green and digital economies. The previous wave of EU4Youth projects saw hundreds of skills development activities carried out in Georgia, as well as apprenticeships and internships for young people, training and grants to launch new business ideas, and the creation of three rural innovation knowledge hubs in Gori, Ninotsminda and Akhmeta. Follow the EU4Youth page for upcoming opportunities.

IT skills

Youth Tech Clubs Network

Visit the Tech Club website for information about courses and Tech Clubs near you. The network has been set up by an EU-funded project aimed at designing and establishing Coding and Tech Entrepreneurship Clubs in 100 locations across 8 target regions of Georgia. The project also organises job fairs and internships with companies. Find a club near you and check out the Tech Club Network Facebook page for all the latest events and opportunities.

EaP Civil Society Facility hackathons

The EaP Civil Society Facility organises a series of EaP Regional Hackathons – special events that bring together civil activists and IT professionals from the Eastern Partnership countries to work face-to-face on civic tech solutions that would enable civil society to better contribute to reforms and democratic changes in their home countries. Teams work with mentors to enhance their existing prototypes of digital solutions, with the winner(s) receiving financial and expert support from the European Union to finalise and launch their projects. Visit the Hackathon website for more details!

EU4Digital

The EU4Digital programme is setting up an EdTech Hub for the Eastern Partnership region, which aims to foster collaboration between the EU and the Eastern partner countries, creating new opportunities for growth and development. The EdTech Hub is set to launch its first courses in July 2023. Currently, course curricula are being developed, local partners are being selected and partnerships established. The EdTech Hub is part of the EU commitment to digitally empower 1 million EaP citizens. For more info and how to take part, click here.

Eu4Digital also highlights a range of other EU programmes to support digital skills for SMEs, including the EaP Startups ecosystem.

EU4Youth

The EU4Youth programme will soon launch a series of projects aimed at developing digital skills among young people, especially in disadvantaged communities, linked to the promotion of youth entrepreneurship in the green and digital economies. The previous wave of EU4Youth projects saw hundreds of skills development activities carried out in Georgia, as well as apprenticeships and internships for young people, training and grants to launch new business ideas, and the creation of three rural innovation knowledge hubs in Gori, Ninotsminda and Akhmeta. Follow the EU4Youth page for upcoming opportunities.

Communication and leadership

Young European Ambassadors

The Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) initiative is a non-political, voluntary, vibrant communication network connecting young people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the EU Member States and the United Kingdom. The aim of the network is to raise awareness about the EU’s cooperation with its Eastern partner countries, showcase the tangible results of this cooperation, and contribute to policy dialogue on various topics.

Through participation in the network, YEAs learn important new skills, improving their competences in the fields of teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and communication – essential soft skills for future careers! There are currently more than 900 active YEAs representing over 34 different nationalities, including 157 in Georgia (click here to meet them). The network is open to young people aged between 16 and 26, interested in public diplomacy and outreach activities. Applications take place every year, usually in the autumn.

Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges

In recent years, thousands of young people and youth workers from Georgia have participated in joint Erasmus+ Youth projects (exchanges, trainings, policy debate, volunteering). Erasmus+ youth exchanges are open to anyone between the ages of 13 and 30, and last between 5 and 21 days. These exchanges take place through youth organisations and you cannot apply directly as an individual.

To find out more, contact the DRONI association, which manages the Erasmus+ Youth Info Centre in Georgia, by visiting their Facebook page, visiting their website or calling on +995 574 27 11 27. More information about Erasmus+ youth exchanges is also available on the SALTO website.

European Solidarity Corps

One way to gain experience abroad is by volunteering through the European Solidarity Corps. This is a unique way to experience different cultures and make new friends, while also helping others and learning new skills. You need to be between 17 and 30 and be willing to spend between two weeks and 12 months abroad. Volunteer projects could be anywhere in the EU or its partner countries, and in fields as varied as culture, youth, sports, children, cultural heritage, arts, animal welfare or the environment. Find out how to apply and check out hundreds of opportunities on the European Solidarity Corps portal.

Civil Society Fellowships

The EU supports young civil society leaders and activists in Georgia and across the Eastern Partnership through its EaP Civil Society Fellowships programme. Every year, the programme helps 20 civil society activists in their efforts to achieve positive social change in their communities, offering tailored training, grants of €5,000 and access to networking opportunities. Details about the Fellows selected since the programme began 2017 and their areas of interest can be found here. Applications usually take place every year. Check here for updates.

EaP Civil Society Facility – e-learning

The EU’s EaP Civil Society Facility offers civil society representatives targeted online courses and materials adapted to their needs and the situations they face in their daily work. On the project’s e-Learning Hub, you will find a number of online courses, webinars and video-lectures that will provide you with the tools and skills in areas as diverse as policy analysis and monitoring, project management, digital competences and web-design for CSOs. The project also offers a number of blended courses that combined online elements with face-to-face trainings to have an enhanced impact. Find out more.

Eastern Partnership European School

The Eastern Partnership European School in Tbilisi offers a two-year International Baccalaureate programme for pupils from all six Eastern Partnership countries, including Georgia, with full scholarships paid by the European Union, including fees, boarding and travel home for holidays. But the number of places is limited – only 35 per year – so you have to meet certain conditions and pass through competitive process in order to apply. Since the launch of the programme in 2018, 145 students have received scholarships for the school, graduating with the IB diploma and going on to study at top universities across the world. The next cohort of students will be recruited to join for the 2024-2026 IB programme.

Travelling University

The Travelling University is a civic education platform established by the United Nations Association of Georgia (UNA Georgia) as part of the EU-supported project ‘Local Investments in Networks for Knowledge and Skill-share’ (LINKS). It organises lectures for young people in villages (more than 60 so far) on issues such as human rights, civic activism and engagement, and gender equality, as well as informing young people about the demands and expectations of the labour market promoting vocational education and lifelong learning in Georgia. Look out for opportunities on the UNA Georgia Facebook page.

Learning a new profession

Youth Opportunities Platform

The Skills for Success project has launched a Youth Opportunities Online Platform – https://youthplatform.gov.ge – which gathers in one place all available education, training and employment opportunities for young people, whether offered by state, NGO or international partners.

The project supports young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) in four regions of Georgia (Guria, Racha Lechkhumi, Shida Kartli, and Kakheti) and Tbilisi, to develop their business and employment skills. As part of this effort, it has trained mobile youth workers to provide needs-based training, career counselling, as well as share information on existing opportunities. The project has also created Youth Innovation Labs in the regions, where NEET Youth trained on entrepreneurship are able to initiate business ideas with the support of mentors. Follow Save the Children Georgia on Facebook for examples and available opportunities under the project.

Local Hubs for Skills Development

These centres operate in four regions of Georgia – Adjara, Guria, Kvemo Kartli, and Shida Karltli – as part of the Local Investments in Networks for Knowledge and Skill-share (LINKS) project funded by the European Union. The centres offer young people aged 15-29 the following activities to develop market-relevant skills and competences:

• Development of key competences
• Digital and computer literacy
• Citizenship education
• English language courses
• Key entrepreneurial competences
• Access to lifelong learning resources
• Career guidance sessions
• Professional secondments for selected candidates
• Access to skills/vacancy management portal
• Funding of social and socially responsible start-ups

Full details of the centres in Adjara, Guria, Kvemo Kartli, and Shida Karltli: https://www.una.ge/Employment_centers

Look out for opportunities on the UNA Georgia Facebook page.

Employment Support Centers – ESCape

ESCape’s employment promotion project targets single parents, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, people with long-term careers, people with no work or study experience. The project has more than 200 private sector partners helping them to empower marginalised people by offering vacancies with working conditions that suit vulnerable people. If you are not employed, looking for a job and need help in this process, send a private message and an employment consultant will respond or fill in the application form and contact you directly: https://bit.ly/418bANc. Visit the ESCape Facebook page for all the latest resources and opportunities.

Learn for Employment!

Within this EU-funded project, more than 3,000 job seekers will gain the skills and knowledge necessary to apply to jobs in the open labour market; among them, more than 700 will participate in VET, on-the-job training, and internship programmes, and a minimum of 50% of them will become employed. The project is implemented in Imereti, Guria, Racha-Lechkhumi, Adjara, Shida Kartli, and Kakheti regions by the Education Development and Employment Centre: visit their website to check out the latest opportunities.

Skill Building and Innovative Job Opportunities

Working in the Guria, Kakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions, this EU-funded project has set up six job promotion centres, as well as entrepreneurship and career development clubs in 28 schools, supporting young people studying in schools and vocational schools to acquire the appropriate knowledge and skills in order to effectively use existing employment opportunities. The project is managed by the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), which also supports a number of other EU jobs and skills initiatives. Click here for their latest news, courses and opportunities.

Job skills for disadvantaged communities in Guria, Adjara and Samerelo

The Skills for Employment and Cooperation (SECTORs) project promotes skills training, work-based learning, internships and other actions to help disadvantaged communities develop skills for jobs in the regions of Guria, Adjara and Samerelo. Find out more.

Lifelong Learning courses: Laboratory Health and Safety

As part of the EU-funded Skills for Jobs programme, four lifelong learning courses on laboratory health and safety have been developed and accredited by four universities (Akaki Tsereteli Kutaisi University, Shota Rustaveli Batumi State University, Telavi State University and Akhatsikhe State University). The project also aims to establish an on-line job and vacancies database, also providing information about apprenticeships and internships, as well as contacts for career guidance and counseling.

EU4Youth

The EU4Youth programme will soon launch a series of projects aimed at developing digital skills among young people, especially in disadvantaged communities, and for the development of social entrepreneurship and career management skills, linked to the promotion of youth entrepreneurship in the green and digital economies. The previous wave of EU4Youth projects saw hundreds of skills development activities carried out in Georgia, as well as apprenticeships and internships for young people, training and grants to launch new business ideas, and the creation of three rural innovation knowledge hubs in Gori, Ninotsminda and Akhmeta. Follow the EU4Youth page for upcoming opportunities.

Higher education

Erasmus+

The EU offers a wide range of study opportunities through the Erasmus+ programme, including student exchanges in European universities at bachelor, master and doctoral levels – the exchanges will be part of the programme you are following and can last between one term and one year. And your expenses will be covered! You can also apply for an Erasmus+ scholarship to study for a Master’s degree at top European universities.

For exchanges, visit the international relations office at your university – they will tell you which opportunities are available in your subject and will help you to apply.

For a Master’s degree, you need to check out the catalogue of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, which lists the courses offering Erasmus scholarships in the upcoming academic year (there are 193 courses currently listed), then contact the university to apply for the course and scholarship.

The National Erasmus+ Office in Georgia is there to help you with any information. You can check out their website for more information.

Erasmus+ traineeships

Erasmus+ supports work placements and internships abroad for Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral students, as well as recent graduates (within one year of your graduation). But your traineeship must be relevant to your degree and, wherever possible, be integrated in your study programme, so check the opportunities with your university. Work placements can last between two and twelve months, and Erasmus+ grants are available to cover your costs.

College of Europe Scholarships

The College of Europe offers a large number of scholarships to university graduates coming from Georgia and other countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy for post-graduate studies. Scholarships are also available for students from the Eastern Partnership countries, funded by the EU4Youth programme. Applications for the academic year 2024/2025 will open in October 2023.

Media literacy

EUvsDisinfo

What is disinformation? How can we avoid falling for it? How can we respond to it? EUvsDisinfo aims to help citizens develop resistance to digital information and media manipulation by increasing awareness and understanding of Russian disinformation operations. Using data analysis and media monitoring services in 15 languages, EUvsDisinfo identifies, compiles, and exposes disinformation cases originating in pro-Kremlin media that are spread across the EU and Eastern Partnership countries.

The project’s Learn platform also includes a selection of useful tools, games, podcasts and other resources to build or strengthen your resilience to disinformation.

EU4Independent Media

The EU4Independent Media programme is active across the six countries of the Eastern Partnership. It offers online and face-to-face trainings for media professionals, on-the-job and individual mentoring to improve editorial content or enhance management and marketing skills, as well as develop new revenue streams and a better understanding of audiences. It also supports content production and networking.

Check the EU Neighbours east media opportunities page for latest information.

A number of free courses for media and communication professionals are available online:

Fact-checking in the era of fake news

Innovation in storytelling

Digital transition in the newsroom

Online media production – mastering the essentials

Running an efficient media business