Learn new skills: opportunities for Belarusians

Entrepreneurship

Help for Belarusian SMEs abroad

The EU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are supporting Belarusian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have relocated their businesses outside Belarus and Russia. The EBRD will use EU funds of up to €4 million to help small Belarusian companies adapt to the challenging environment of new markets, help them integrate into new supply chains and boost their digitalisation. The initiative is expected to reach at least 270 relocated SMEs and consultants, which will benefit from targeted advisory support, knowledge sharing, training courses tailored to their business needs, workshops, seminars and networking events, including access to the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses Programme. For additional information contact the EBRD team in Lithuania.

MOST+

If you are working in the fields of society, culture, business, education, health, or sustainable development, you can participate in the MOST+ project (EU4Belarus: Mobility Programme for targeted people-to-people contacts) – an EU-funded programme for professional exchanges between Belarusians and their EU counterparts. The programme is open to Belarussian professionals over the age of 18, whether living in Belarus or abroad. Applications will be accepted without interruption until 3 June 2024. Check out the project’s website and its FAQs for further details, and their Facebook page for latest 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. Under the previous wave of EU4Youth projects, dozens of schools in Belarus participated in the School Garden project, which also established business-incubators for teaching modern agriculture to youth in disadvantaged rural areas, providing training and materials to hundreds of young Belarusians. Follow the EU4Youth page for upcoming opportunities.

IT skills

Women in Tech

The Women in Tech Programme is aimed at supporting Belarusian women in IT, encouraging research, and fostering gender equality in the field of high technology. With EU support, the project offers online courses and research opportunities for Belarusian women at the European Humanities University in Vilnius, such as the free three-month Login to Tech programme aimed at women who want to start a career in IT, but don’t know where to start. Other IT courses and mentoring programmes will soon also be available.

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. Follow the EU4Youth page for upcoming opportunities.

Communication and leadership

Young European Ambassadors

The Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) initiative is open to young people from the age of 16, so if you are interested in Europe and its values, want to learn new skills and make new friends, then you can apply to join to join this network that brings together more than 900 young people from the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU. While there are currently no activities in Belarus, young Belarusians who have left the country are active in the network in neighbouring or other EU countries.

By participating 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! Applications  take place every year, usually in the autumn.

Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges

Erasmus+ is not just for students. Indeed, in recent years, thousands of young people and youth workers from Belarus 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 Erasmus+ Youth Info Centre in Belarus by visiting their Facebook page, calling 375 33 325-86-54, or emailing [email protected].

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.

Social Camp

The ‘Social Camp’ is an educational and mentoring project for Belarusians living both in Belarus and abroad. Between October 2022 and October 2024, the project offers online educational programmes (in areas ranging from critical thinking to social entrepreneurship, advocacy and the art of negotiation) that are divided into blocks of theory, skills, and practice, mentoring, and project support with grants of €5,000-€20,000 for ideas aimed at the development of local communities. Enrolment for the second round of courses will be announced in the autumn of 2023. Visit the project page www.socialcamp.orgfor more information and opportunities.

Civil Society Fellowships

The EU supports young civil society leaders and activists in Belarus 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 Belarus, 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.

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.

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 Belarus 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.

European Humanities University (EHU)

Founded in Minsk in 1992, and based in Vilnius since 2005, EHU is a student-centered University for promoting civil society development through Humanities and Liberal Arts for students from Belarus and the region, with most courses taught in Belarusian or Russian. EU grants covering 50% or 100% of the tuition fees are available based on student portfolios that represent academic, civic and creative performance, while the EHU’s Emergency Fund supports students who have been expelled or are otherwise unable to study at Belarusian universities for political reasons. Find out more about EHU and check out scholarship opportunities.

EU4Belarus – SALT (Support for Advanced Learning and Training)

This programme has offered financial support for online courses, qualifications or international exams for repressed or threatened Belarusians, as well as scholarships for Belarusian students at universities in Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Latvia. Both calls are currently closed, but new applications for scholarships will open in 2023, and the programme has just launched a call for fellowships for Belarusian lecturers, scientists, and PhD students at EU higher education and research institutions.” In 2021, 160 scholarships were awarded under the programme, and another 40 were due to be awarded in 2022. Click here to check for any further opportunities under the programme.

Free Belarus University

The Free Belarus University and the Polish Solidarity Fund, with financial support from the European Union, have started an educational project for Belarusians, offering access to independent, high-quality EU education programmes. Over the next two years, 13 free courses will be available for Belarusians interested in improving their professional qualifications or learning more about democratic reforms. Most of the courses will be conducted online, and each course will be validated and certificated by a recognised European institution. The autumn semester 2022 included three courses, a Mini Master of Public Administration (MPA), a Mini MBA, and Leaders of Change programme. Click here to find out more about upcoming courses, or follow the Free Belarus University on Facebook, Telegram, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Learning a new profession

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. Under the previous wave of EU4Youth projects, dozens of schools in Belarus participated in the School Garden project, which also established business-incubators for teaching modern agriculture to youth in disadvantaged rural areas, providing training and materials to hundreds of young Belarusians. Follow the EU4Youth page for upcoming opportunities.

Women in Tech

The Women in Tech Programme includes online courses for women looking for a new professional direction, such as the free three-month Login to Tech programme aimed at women who want to start a career in IT, but don’t know where to start. Other IT courses and mentoring programmes will soon also be available.

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