To date, 2,576 beneficiaries have begun education, 5,821 applications have been approved and 1,215 are being processed, the HZZ tells Hina.
As of 1 April, both employed and unemployed persons can apply for vouchers for acquiring additional knowledge and skills. They must be over 15 and have at least primary education in order to apply.
The number of applicants is rising on a monthly basis, the HZZ says.
To date, nearly HRK 11 million has been paid to beneficiaries, with HRK 10.2 million going on education costs and the rest on monetary assistance and travel expenses for the jobless and for medical checkups for enroling in various educational programmes.
The chair of the parliamentary committee on labour, pension system and social partnership, Majda Burić of the ruling HDZ, says the number of approved applications surpasses plans and that this is positive as it shows that people are motivated and ready for lifelong learning as well as that they understand its need for work and doing business.
The amounts beneficiaries receive vary, depending on the programme for additional knowledge and skills, but the HZZ estimates the average voucher amounts to HRK 8,307, the lowest being HRK 1,131 and the highest HRK 18,769.
Women are more interested than men in acquiring additional knowledge and skills to improve their position on the labour market. By this month, 59% of the vouchers approved have been for women.
The average voucher beneficiary is 34 years old, 64% of vouchers have been approved for those aged 30-54, 1% for those over 55, and 35% for those aged 15-29.
Of the 7,759 applicants to date, 5,897 have been employed and 1,862 jobless.
The City of Zagreb and Split-Dalmatia and Osijek-Baranja counties have the highest numbers of applicants.
Education vouchers will be issued until 2026 and HRK 300 million has been envisaged for 30,000 beneficiaries. Funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are currently being used for that purpose, but funds from the European Social Fund Plus are also planned to be used, the HZZ says.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)