Fundacja FUNDUSZ WSPÓŁPRACY

The main objective of the project is to improve the labour market through supporting adaptation skills of employees and enterprises in the areas of special environment protection. The task for the Partnership is to create and disseminate models enabling the companies and their employees to adapt to changes in the economy.

The project is being implemented in the Podlaskie voivodship which is regarded as part of socalled Green Lungs of Poland. Natural environment quality of the Podlasie region is an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to grow according to the sustainable development principle. The key issue is to identify niche activities which could be replicated in other similar regions of Poland and Europe. The Partnership focuses on agritourism, biomass production, traditional construction, wastewater management (mini sewage treatment plants), packaging waste disposal and food industry.

Project beneficiaries are 462 employees and employers from small and medium enterprises whose business is geared towards sustainable development and green technologies. The key outcomes of the project to be disseminated are training models for small companies developed by competence centre of Green Technologies, model training and consulting institution specialising in so-called green jobs. The centre will support small and medium enterprises (training, certification, consulting, legal services) and the unemployed planning to develop businesses in environmentally valuable areas or to use generally accessible natural resources.

The results will also include training models, training materials and a website. Theoretical and practical training models will focus on new technologies for mini sewage treatment plants, application of innovative system of utilisation of packaging materials, application of new construction technologies based on traditional design (roofing in particular), adaptation of old technologies and old recipes for traditional and regional products to the EU quality requirements,
use and implementation of branded tourist products, use of renewable energy, especially biomass. The training materials will include manuals, technologies, handbooks with legislation and its interpretation, multimedia presentations and instruction videos. Updated materials developed during the project, information on new technologies, training and solutions will be published on the website. Additionally, procedures for creating the Green Technologies Competence Centre will be developed, including localisation requirements, costs of creation and maintenance, personnel requirements, description of equipment and permanent exhibition of „green technologies" and „green jobs", description of management procedures and financing after the project completion, opportunities for adaptation of Western models, methods of cooperation with producers of new equipment and technologies, proposals of changes in the regional policy required for development of „green technologies".

The result will be used mainly by the owners and employees of small and medium trading enterprises interested in changing or broadening their offer. Also institutions responsible for regional policy such as local authorities, non-government organisations and research institutions will benefit from solutions developed under the project. The results will be disseminated during meetings and conferences and through publications. A case study describing successes and failures of the project based on a study of project impact on the situation of final beneficiaries. The case study will be sent to various institutions (local authorities, poviat labour office, nongovernmental organisations) and will be available free of charge.

Participation in the Partnership of the Local Assembly Speaker's Office of the Podlaskie Voivodship will lead to including the project results into the regional development strategy. Regional Labour Office in Białystok will disseminate project results through their Centre of Information and Career Planning.

The Partnership will host 5 conferences, create an Internet platform, organise press conference, present the results to local authorities of various levels (gminas and poviats) and publish articles in the local press media. A video documentary on the project will be broadcast by the local branch of Polish Television in Białystok.

• Training and education models for SMEs regarding green technologies