2023

Calls within OP Employment Plus (2022 and 2023)

In 2022 and 2023, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs announced several calls related to education within the Operation Programme Employment Plus.

Some calls are intended for wider range of different applicants (e.g., professional and business associations, educational and non-profit organisations, regions, municipalities, etc.). Following groups are supported:

• parents of young children – the establishment and operation of new children's groups (dětské skupiny) (Founding of the children’s groups (1) – Vybudování dětských skupin (1), allocation CZK 300 M / EUR 13 M, and Funding of the operation of the children’s groups in public administration – Financování provozu dětských skupin ve veřejné správě, allocation CZK 200 M / EUR 8 M).
• children and youth at risk of school failure, from an early age, through preschoolers, to pupils at basic schools (základní školy), with an emphasis on children from socially and economically disadvantaged environment in selected municipalities – by the prevention and dealing with the early school leaving (before completing the basic education, ISCED 2), e.g., activities of multidisciplinary teams, counselling, motivating children/families to participate in various family clubs and preschool facilities, out-of-school tutoring and leisure time activities, encouraging families to cooperate during school education; allocation – CZK 300 million / EUR 13 M (Prevention of early school leaving – Prevence předčasných odchodů ze vzdělávání);
• disadvantaged youth (15‒29 years of age) – by international mobilities; allocation – CZK 35 M / EUR 1.5 M (ALMA – international mobility of disadvantaged youth – ALMA – mezinárodní mobilita znevýhodněné mládeže);
• employees, with emphasis on people aged 55+ – by continuing professional development; allocation – CZK 600 M / EUR 25 M (Together for education – Společně za vzděláváním);
• women aged 50+ active in the labour market – by comprehensive educational programmes; allocation – CZK 50 M / EUR 2 M (Strengthening the competences of women disadvantaged in the labour market and in business – Posílení kompetencí žen znevýhodněných na trhu práce a v podnikání);
• people disadvantaged in the labour market (migrants and refugees, long-term or repeatedly unemployed people, persons serving a sentence, people at risk of addiction and others) – e.g., by retraining and education, development of basic competencies for easier employment on the labour market or activities to acquire work habits and experience; allocation – CZK 350 M / EUR 15 M (Support for people disadvantaged in the labour market – Podpora osob znevýhodněných na trhu práce);
• socially excluded people or those at risk of social exclusion, less well-off and disadvantaged people living in rural areas – by community-led local development, e.g., strengthening education in the information society (community libraries, out-of-school tutoring, motivation seminars/workshops for the youth, etc.) or networking of employment services (connecting public employment services with employers, non-government non-profit organisations, municipalities, and schools); allocation – CZK 1.2 billion / EUR 49 M (Support of the community-led local development – Podpora komunitně vedeného místního rozvoje);
• different groups – by providing information, experience or skills avoiding gender stereotypes that will support conscious and informed decision-making about the future profession, including networking of schools and employers; allocation – CZK 40 M / 1.7 M (Choice of study field and profession without gender stereotypes – Genderově nestereotypní volba studijního oboru a povolání).

Other calls are designed for implementation of larger projects by the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, ministries, or the National Pedagogical Institute. They include following areas:

• further education strengthening the position of target groups in the labour market, measures supporting their return to education and leading to the development of basic competencies, consulting, and information activities, motivating activities, and activities leading to obtaining sustainable and suitable employment, with the focus on:
  • job seekers, applicants for employment, and inactive persons, incl. different disadvantaged groups; allocation – CZK 8.8 B / 370 M (Implementation of employment policy instruments at the national level – Realizace nástrojů politiky zaměstnanosti na národní úrovni);
  • people younger than 30, mainly the job seekers and applicants for employment, people without experiences - the NEETs, pupils and students in the last years, and graduates (within 2 years from the end of education); allocation – CZK 1.2 B / EUR 51 M (Youth guarantee – Záruky pro mladé);
• creation, development, and implementation of system measures in further education, creation, and development of new diagnostic tools for career counselling, linking and support of the system of recognition of the results of non-formal education and informal learning, support for participation in continuing professional development, introducing quality elements into the educational process, etc.; allocation – CZK 200 M / EUR 8 M (Development of the continuing professional development – Rozvoj dalšího profesního vzdělávání);
• activities in the area of gender equality, incl. processing research, analytical studies, and methodologies, setting up tools for long-term data collection, implementing tools for analysing gender pay gap, employee training; allocation – CZK 150 / EUR 6 M (Implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy for 2021‒2030 – Implementace Strategie rovnosti žen a mužů na léta 2021‒2030).

Exchange rate used: CZK/EUR = 23.66, 23 March 2023.

2022

Operational Programme Employment Plus was launched

With the new programme period 2021–2027, a new Operational Programme Employment Plus (OPE+ (Operační program Zaměstnanost plus) was launched in Czechia. OPE+ is a key prerequisite for the use of funds from the European Social Fund Plus in the area of employment and social inclusion. It follows on from the Operational Programme Employment (Operační program Zaměstnanost) implemented in Czechia in the years 2014–2020. The governing body of the programme is the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The total amount allocated for OPE+ is approximately CZK 49 billion (EUR 2 billion; CZK/EUR 24.54 – 9 September 2022). Almost half of this allocation will be dedicated to promoting employment, workforce adaptability and gender equality.

There are five priority areas stipulated in the OP, among them the priority area The Future of Work the specific goals of which are, among others:

1. Support for employment on the labour market for all job seekers, especially for young people, long-term unemployed and groups disadvantaged on the labour market as well as for inactive persons; among the intended activities is also the support of further education (in particular the increase, extending or developing of existing qualifications) or measures supporting the return to education, possibly leading to the development of basic competences.
2. To promote gender-balanced participation in the labour market, equal working conditions and a better balance between work and personal life; the intended activities include the building and operation of quality, financially and locally available childcare services in order to increase the participation of parents with young children in the labour market.

2021

Strategy for Education Policy of the Czech Republic 2030+

On 19 October, the government approved the Strategy for Education Policy of the Czech Republic 2030+ (hereinafter referred to as the “Strategy 2030+ ”), which sets out the direction of education development and investment priorities for the next ten years. The aim is to modernise the education system of Czechia in the field of regional education, leisure time activities and non-formal education and lifelong learning. The Strategy 2030+ has two main strategic objectives, which will be implemented through five strategic lines. Within these lines, e.g. the measures in the area of innovation of the system of fields of education will be elaborated. The aim is to modernise the system of vocational fields of education and thus facilitate the transition of school leavers to the labour market and also to support acquiring qualifications already during the studies. For more details, see New Strategy for Education Policy of the Czech Republic 2030+ approved.