Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog announced at a press conference that one thousand Roma women may receive vocational training and then a suitable job in the social and child welfare system within the framework of the EU-financed program launched by the Ministry of Human Resources and National Roma Council. The Ministry and the Roma organisation expect that the women will play a significant role in coordinating between the Roma communities and social institutions.

The Minister declared at a press conference in Budapest organized on the occasion of the launching of the new educational project called Nő az esély (meaning both "Increasing Opportunity" and "Women, our opportunity"), that it is women who hold the opportunity for progress in Roma integration, and who are otherwise also the „engines of life” within the family.

The Minister also stated that the program provides the Roma people with education and an adequately paid job instead of just giving money. He added that the women will perform various social assistant type tasks, after which they will be able to join the various programs such as the Roma settlement programs. He announced that four times as many applications were submitted than expected, so the Ministry is confident that there will be no problems launching the further stages of the program.  

President of the National Roma Council Flórián Farkas called the program a pioneering initiative, stating that it has been launched in 19 counties and the capital. Referring to the great number of applications, he emphasized that the goal is to double the number of people participating in the training by the end of 2014. He also added that the program "is not just a Roma issue, but a question of inclusion and integration", which according to the organisation's President means that the participants will assist not only in solving the problems of the Roma, but also those of non-Roma people.

According to the communiqué provided to journalists, as part of the program disadvantaged Roma women will be primarily included in the training that lasts till the end of August, 2014 and according to their expectations at least 750 of them will attain qualifications.

Within the vocational training project, which has a budget of more that 1.5 billion HUF, participants may obtain training to become, among others, a nursing assistant, educator, social carer and nurse, geriatric nurse, home care nurse and Roma social carer.

The job placement opportunities of those who complete a successful examination will be facilitated by the second part of the project, with a budget of 1.4 billion HUF, in which a yearlong employment support and funding for the further training of employees will be provided to employers. It is also expected that the Roma women participating in the training will serve as a connection between the social institutions and the several thousand disadvantaged people who have so far not requested social and child welfare or child protection services.

(Ministry of Human Resources)