From the desk of Francesco Giotta (YES Romania Network member)
DEAR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU THE DRAFT OF THE HATEG COUNTRY PILOT PROJECT
EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THAT ALSO INVOLVES THE
CREATION OF A YES CENTER IN ONE OF THE MOST ECONOMICALLY DISDVANTAGED ZOMES
OF ROMANIA
I AM COUNTING ON YOU ALL AND EACH OF YOU TO SEND ME YOUR CANDID VIEWS,
COMMENTS, RECOMMENDATIONS ON A DISCUSSION FORUM STARTING TODAY OCTOBER 7,
2003
I THANK YOU IN ANTICIPATION
A. Executive Summary
The Hateg Country, reputed for the quality of its landscape, unpolluted air
and water resources, famous for its history and culture, has become one of
the areas most hit by the economic recession of post-communist Romania. The
closing of obsolete steel and mining industries nearby created a mass
exodus of young, talented workforce to other regions. With unemployment
soaring and properties abandoned, with its demography suddently ageing, the
Hateg Country economy retrenched on low-income subsistence farming.
Low-income economy and depopulation of a region signals that present
activites relating people to natural habitat are not sustainable in the
region.
A definite opportunity for sustainable development in the Hateg Country,
lies, however, in the exploitation of its natural habitat, historical
landmarks and cultural diversity in a way that supports
ecologic-conservationist activities and expression of values (ecovillage,
geopark creation, environmental education in primary schools, etc.) while
creating and managing a destination of preference for agritourism in
Eastern Europe. The most recent initiative is the development of the Hateg
Country as a Geo-park to include a 'Dinosaurus theme' Park (Dino-Park),
several natural sites and 'eco-villages' able to attract 20,000 - 40,000
visitors every year. In parallel, a PHARE-sponsored initiative in
environmental education is underway in primary schools, while the SAPARD
alternative program is improving communal biologic infrastructure and
provides internet access to intervillage commissions (PUZ).
While agro-tourism and eco-enterprise creation remain one of the few
solutions to sustainability of the Hateg Country, the high-quality,
service- and environmentally-oriented workforce to support these new
industries is sadly lacking. There are no skills training programs in
operation and no initiatives to bring back or retain rural youth in the
region.
The proposed Education for Sustainable Development (EDS) is a 2-year pilot
program designed specifically to address these urgent needs. It provides a
training-for-jobs orientation of 800 - 1,200 students, extends $300-500
start-up loans to at least 400 small-enterprises, supports the creation of
1,200 new jobs. The EDS will help the transformation of all 11 communal
zones of the Hateg Country into knowledge-based rural societies able to use
the latest IC technology in learning competencies necessary for 'green
jobs' and high-income generating activities such as agritourism, so that
they can reattract young skilled manpower to the region and break the
circle of chronical unemployment, poverty, and population ageing. If
successful, the pilot project can be replicated in other Romanian and
global regions facing similar economic and demographic downturns and
requiring the transformation into knowledge-based rural societies to
realize the potential for agritourism and eco-industries.
Managed by the Opportunities Industrialisation Centres International, an
international leader in competency-based education, the pilot project will
create young skilled manpower and knowledge-based communities necessary to
develop agrotourism, value-added farming and eco-enterprise creation.
The pilot project in the Hateg Country (Romania) will be will be focused on
skills training of more than 800 students/year, mostly youth and village
executives, and on credit provision to start-up enterprises and immediate
income generating activities deriving from efficient, wise use or
conservation of natural habitat. Students and instructors will be using the
latest IC technology in applied learning of a broad competency-based
curriculum (12-20 technical training modules).
Using the 'school-on-wheels' model, the project will be able to offer
on-site, all-year-around instruction to each of the eleven communes, in
addition to a core curriculum delivered at a central location (the EDS
Training Center in the Berthelot commune). The EDS TRAINING CENTER will
also host the Youth Employment Summit-Romanian Chapter (ROYES) so that
successful global solutions to similar areas of intervention can be
accessed and that results/lessons learned from the pilot project can be
easily shared with specialists in youth manpower development organizations
around the world.
A funding consortium USAID, USDA, EUC, BRD, UNESCO is planned to ensure
cash contributions in the proportion and amounts to be determined.
Francesco Giotta
174 Ferdinand Blvd
Bl. T1, ap. 39
Bucharest, Romania
(4021) 250 5667
(4021) 252 9645
GSM 072 - 386 3173
fgiotta@hotmail.com
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