Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research, managers and teachers from 12 professional-technical institutions (VET), young people from the Network of Peer-to-Peer Educators from VET, as well as program specialists from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) met on September 14 in a coordination meeting on the results of the joint project "Develop life skills and healthy behaviors among students in vocational education and training for their development and job readiness".

During the event, the participants confirmed their commitment to the mission of this project, which is about youth empowerment through developing their communication, relationship, critical thinking, negotiation, and other important soft skills, both for personal and professional life.

In Moldova, young people have access to such education at the mandatory course Decisions for a healthy lifestyle, which was aligned to international standards with UNFPA’s support, but also during informative sessions organized by the Y-PEER Network, which was set-up as part of the project.

„The project has reached a stage when we realize that together we managed to achieve our goals and contribute to the development of professional technical education in Moldova. Our efforts continue to create an environment that supports the development of life-skills and healthy behaviors of students, and we are happy to have the commitment of the Ministry of Education and Research, the schools, donors, and other partners in this endeavor", said Ludmila Sîrbu, Youth Programs Analyst, UNFPA Moldova.

„The fact that we are here today, in this friendly room, talking about our joint results is an indicator about the success of this project. Each of us has something to be proud of and we will be happy to continue working so that our students learn a job in a friendly environment and are prepared to enter the labor market and the future adult life", said Vitalie Belîi, the director of the vocational school no. 2, from Chisinau, which hosted the event.

Young people from the VET Peer-to-Peer Educators Network attended the meeting and shared their experiences of working with their peers, emphasizing the support they need from adults to achieve their goals.

„The exchange of experience between the schools was very useful for us. We want more activities like this", said Alina Bîtcă, a student at the Center of Excellence in Light Industry in Chisinau.

„Overcoming stress in decision-making was one of the topics that aroused the greatest interest from our colleagues”, said Grigore Tuhar, a student at the Polytechnic College in Balti municipality.

The project „Develop life skills and healthy behaviors among students in vocational education and training for their development and job readiness” is carried out by the United Nations Population Fund and financed by the Austrian Development Agency from the funds of the Austrian Cooperation for Development, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova.

As part of the project, several important results for students and teachers were achieved, including the setting up of 13 youth-friendly classrooms in 12 VET institutions, partnerships with the private sector companies to facilitate the employment of graduates in youth-friendly conditions, development of didactic materials for teachers and students, as well as information campaigns for young people, including refugees from Ukraine, about emotional resilience, violence prevention, sexual and reproductive health, negotiation strategies, stereotypes and discrimination, and other similar topics.