Marta Payo Alba“European union formation courses are not only to form citizens they are real job opportunities”, states Perla Ovando. The European Union, through some of its commissions, opens its doors to its citizens for new training opportunities. These subsidized courses, covering a wide range of topics, are designed to equip citizens with not just valuable knowledge for personal growth but also with skills that enhance their employability. Upon completion, students receive certifications from the European body, acknowledging their readiness to apply their newly acquired expertise in the professional realm. Sessions are available across the European territory, running continuously throughout the year.
Despite the valuable opportunities these courses offer, many EU citizens are unaware of their existence. Related to the information above, the courses are said to be “very useful” by diverse of the interviewed such as Núria A. Tort. There is a misconception that the EU only provides language learning or information about its structure, objectives, and policies. However, the reality is that these courses encompass diverse subjects, empowering individuals to explore new career paths.
Some of the students have taken advantage of the training opportunities backed by the European Union to undertake career trades different from those they had been practicing until now. As stated by Perla Ovando, a teacher and director of one of the courses, “a student of mine has now found a secondary job by shortening trousers”.
Practical information
Some of the european union formation courses are offered directly on various European Union institutional webpages such as https://academy.europa.eu/, most of these formations are online and are mostly language or distance learning courses. The practical courses are only available when the interested person attends a certain local institution, for example “Mecabit”, on of garrafs formation center.
Depending on the locality and time of year, the available courses vary. In Garraf, September of 2023, a sewing course was offered until mid-December (2023); currently, there is a course on event planning and organization and another on conflict mediation. Both courses must be complemented with practical sessions, managed by the organization of the courses, based on what has been learned to obtain the completion certificate.
As mentioned earlier, mecabit is one of the centers in Catalonia that offers this type of training. Among them, and in line with the information mentioned earlier, it offered the sewing course from November to December 2023. This specific course provided students with the theoretical foundations of sewing as well as practical experience. It was aimed at all types of students, from those who had never sewn before to others who already had a good deal of knowledge about sewing in general.
Sewing formation
In addition to promoting the inclusion of Union citizens into the job market, with the sewing course in particular, the aim is also to raise awareness among students about the importance of recycling, as stated by Perla Ovando, the teacher and director of the sewing course. “This course not only seeks to facilitate the students’ job inclusion but also to promote clothing recycling through repairs or ‘up-cycling,’ and it also aims to ensure that students are aware of the protocols to follow when carrying out work in this professional field”.
Some declarations of the students that have completed the sewing formation:
These courses are aimed at four types of people: the unemployed, individuals over 45 years old, young people, and workers. Unemployed individuals are given priority over those who are already employed. The course content for employed individuals varies from that for the unemployed. In the case of skilled workers, the courses focus on providing an update on new technologies. The formation for unemployed promote training from scratch to enable them to embark on a new profession.
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The European Union formation courses are an opportunity for UE citizens to begin a new career. They keep alive jobs that are absolutely necessary and, in some cases, beginning to extinguish. The union has opted and prioritized knowledge over other crucial factors. The real effects of the courses are still to be seen, but until the moment, they are functioning and achieving their goal.
