About partners
Zofia Zamenhof Foundation
Zofia Zamenhof Foundation aims at propagating the idea of freedom, the rules of democracy, cultural diversity and tolerance. Throughout our work, we want to show how to solve social problems. We want to contribute to increase the level of education of various social groups in countries where we are going to run our work and to have an influence on the integration processes between nations. We are certain that this is education which gives a chance to grow and makes the social differences smaller. Intercultural dialogue is possible thanks to education. Thus, our work aims also at education and training, also in the aspect of international cooperation. We also want to propagate the knowledge about the people connected with the ideas of our foundation. Foundation is involved in the educational and scientific activities related to the social causes and reduction of unemployment. There is a strong focus on cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries and working with educational institutions at various levels. Our main focus are the groups at the risk of social exclusion with regards to labour marker such as disabled, NEETs, low- skilled adults and domestic violence victims. Our experts have expertise in higher education and adult education. Members of our educational committee are PhD holders in different specializations of social sciences (mostly economics and sociology) or PhD candidates. We have also people who have long experience of work in educational industry, including adult education perspectives.
The professional school of opportunities
The Ministry of Education homologated EPRALIMA in 1999, as a private non-profit organization, based on a cooperative regime that provides vocational training at various European levels. Epralima is composed of 3 branches: the head-office in Arcos de Valdevez; branch in Ponte da Barca and another in Ponte de Lima; a Skills Assessment Centre which recognizes, validates and certifies skills giving individuals an opportunity to receive academic equivalency; and finally a Technical Centre which works with transnational and communitarian projects. Epralima contributes to projects due to its: broad knowledge of the region and close relationships with the target-groups; ability to promote the encouragement of networks and mobilize different organizations; experience in the development of different Work Packages: management, assessment, diagnosis, design and implementation. Its sustainability is linked to the dynamics of the Upper Lima Region, overcoming needs through training.
The Vocational Development Institute
The Vocational Development Institute in Kielce is a leading educational institution in the region, operating continuously for 75 years. The association has an extensive network of teaching facilities in 20 cities in the following voivodeships: Świętokrzyskie, Mazowieckie and Lesser Poland. This expansion of the training base enables access to high-quality education not only in large agglomerations, but also in smaller towns. The aim of ZDZ is to improve the professional competences of adults, as well as to educate young people and adults in the school system. The plant is an important link in the national education system influencing the development of human resources in the region, not only through its schools and organized courses, but also thanks to educational projects co-financed by the European Union. ZDZ has the widest educational offer in the voivodeship, which includes courses and seminars as well as schools for youth and adults. It also allows you to obtain certificates, diplomas, attestations and specialist qualifications, which give you the opportunity to obtain tangible benefits from the acquired knowledge and skills not only on the domestic but also on the international labor market. In recent years alone, several thousand clients have benefited from this form of improving their qualifications. The priority for ZDZ in Kielce is a high level of service and customer orientation. The highest standards of education in schools during courses have been confirmed by granting the Department the ISO and IQNet certificates and numerous awards and distinctions, including the Polish Promotional Emblem “Teraz Polska”, which strengthened the company’s position as a leader among educational institutions in the region. ZDZ in Kielce belongs to the Association of Vocational Training Institutions, which brings together 22 ZDZs from all over Poland. Together they create a network of educational institutions covering the entire country, ahead of the competition in terms of offer, quality, achievements and experience.
Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce
The Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce is the largest business environment organization operating in the Świętokrzyskie Province. It has been operating on the market since 1990. It currently brings together over 150 companies that employ a total of approx. 14 thousand people. The Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce was established as a result of the natural desire of entrepreneurs to unite in order to create a representative office representing their interests, among others, by influencing state and regional authorities in order to create favorable conditions for the development of enterprises, establishing business contacts, collecting, processing and sharing information useful in business activities, conducting professional training and coaching, organizing meetings of business people. The Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce conducts its activities based on three fundamental values: democracy, apoliticality, independence from the authorities. In practice, implementing the principle of democracy, the Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce has established a Board of Directors, which is a forum for developing the position of the Chamber members on important economic problems of the region and enabling mutual contacts and integration of the Chamber members. The Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce provides services, among others, in the areas of: partner matching, legalization of commercial documents, consulting and training, economic information, lobbying activities. Since 1996, the Staropolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce has been a member of the national network of centers providing development services for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: initially it was the network of the National System of Services, and since 2017 it has been a network of entities providing development services. The aim of the network is to increase the competitiveness of Polish SMEs by providing them with high-quality consulting, training, information and financial services. In order to make it easier for enterprises from the Świętokrzyskie region to function on the Single European Market, the Chamber runs the Enterprise Europe Network Center – a representation of the European Commission.
The professional school of opportunities
The CNIPA Puglia is a regional agency responsible for technical and technological development, professional education, scientific research, and continuing education. It is an ACCREDITED non-profit professional training entity with its legal headquarters in Bari and 5 other offices/schools located in other important cities in the Puglia Region. Since 1995, it has offered professional and academic training courses, as well as courses and services for students, young people, and adults, with over 15 projects per year. The CNIPA PUGLIA is accredited by AICA for IT courses. Its objectives are social inclusion of people at risk, employment, culture, and environmental protection. For social inclusion, it works to promote social rights, equal opportunities, European citizenship, adult and minor rights, migrants, and refugees. In the field of employment, it promotes entrepreneurship, career guidance, mentoring, and active participation of young people. In terms of culture, contemporary culture, cultural democratization, cultural heritage, artistic expression, and promotion of young artists, and traditional crafts are promoted. Regarding the environment, it is committed to environmental protection, sustainability, climate, the circular economy, and environmental education. As far as technology is concerned, digital literacy courses and webmaster courses are carried out. The CNIPA Puglia has around 20 employees and almost 100 accredited teachers from schools and the business world who are used as external professionals from time to time. In addition, it has an average of 170 minor students per year. The organization is also involved in orientation, work accompaniment, and job search projects, with training and consulting actions, and activating internships in companies and institutions. In addition, the organization promotes training and information activities on topics of interest to people, such as the use of digital tools, career guidance, financial education, entrepreneurship, digital culture, and the development of transversal skills.