The object of the action is the provision of vocational counselling, training and certification services to 3,700 unemployed people, aged 18-29 (i.e. aged 18 to 30), low educational qualifications, who are outside the education, training and employment system. The action is proposed so that the beneficiaries can acquire knowledge and skills in retail specialties aiming at their professional empowerment and enhancement of their employability.

The content of the individual interventions is in line with the recommendations set out in the Council Recommendation establishing a Youth Guarantee (2013/C 120/01) and in particular Recommendation No 6 to ensure the active involvement of the social partners at all levels of design and implementation of policies targeting young people. The action will include the following sub-actions:

1.Specialisation in retail specialities and skills

The purpose of this action is to achieve a more effective coupling between the supply and demand of skilled human resources. In particular, the aim is to highlighting the most important professions / specialties in the retail sector, recording the jobs offered, capturing the critical knowledge, skills and abilities for the offered positions. The Beneficiary will take into account, the outputs of the Mechanism for the Diagnosis of Labor Market Needs, relevant sectoral studies in order to seek the promotion of the of more important specialties linked to labour market needs and the mapping of critical knowledge, skills and competences.

2. Provision of professional counselling services

The Action concerns the provision of individualized professional counseling support to the beneficiaries through 6 individual sessions.

3. Provision of vocational training services (theoretical training and practical training)

The action concerns the implementation of theoretical training programs lasting 180 hours in targeted thematic subjects of the retail trade sector and practical training of a total duration of 320 hours in companies of the retail sector that will express interest and will be registered in the register of internship companies.

4. Certification of the acquired knowledge and skills of the beneficiaries

The certification - through the evaluation of their knowledge and competence - will be done by Certification Bodies operating in Greece and/or internationally and who are either accredited according to the ISO/IEC 17024 standard, or are certified under the current institutional framework to grant certificates for the specific specialties or by software companies that provide relevant certifications.

5. Coordination of action and publicity

The following shall be eligible for the purposes of implementing the operation:

• Coordination measures
• Management and monitoring of the implementation of the Operation
• Conducting the required competitions under the current institutional framework
• Prepare audit reports
• Monitoring and evaluation of individual actions
• Selection of beneficiaries
• Creation of a register, business of practice
• Payment of educational allowances to beneficiaries, etc.)
• Information and awareness-raising measures

The selection of the beneficiaries as well as the establishment of the Register of Internships will be done by the Beneficiary, through electronic submission of applications and with the application of objective selection criteria.

To whom it is addressed retail

Institutional Social Partners/ Their Organizations, relevant to the subject of the Act, who have the administrative and operational capacity for the implementation of the specific operation and have implemented or are implementing co-financed projects of the European Social Fund as beneficiaries for the submission of a project proposal (act), individually or in partnership.

Please note that in the case of an individual beneficiary this must be of national scope. In the case of a partnership, each partner entity must belong to the above categories of potential beneficiaries. At least one of them must be of national scope.

Submission period

From 24/11/2021 to 10/1/2022

In the case of documents for which it is not technically possible to attach/submit electronically (e.g. maps, drawings, etc.), the beneficiary is obliged to send them at the address: "NSRF EXECUTIVE STRUCTURE, EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL ECONOMY SECTOR", 4 Korai Street, 105 64 ATHENS within 10 working days of the due date submission of proposals.

Application area

All over Greece

Retail budget

The co-financed (where co-financed public expenditure is the eligible public expenditure from the OP for the calculation of the Community contribution) public expenditure available for the inclusion of actions under this call amounts to 17.800.000,00€.