Unemployment fund to dedicate €11m over four years to language training

The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF) is to award a total of €11 million in contracts for Estonian language instruction to be conducted in Tallinn, Harju County and Ida-Viru County over the next four years in order to improve the language skills of job-seekers and prepare people for the Estonian language proficiency exam.
The EUIF has announced a public procurement worth approximately €11 million to find partners that would organize language courses for 6,000 people over the four-year period.
Meelis Paavel, board chairman of the EUIF, said that this procurement is the largest Estonia has seen for Estonian language instruction.
"The thousands of people learning the official language, but also the labour market as a whole, will benefit from this investment," Paavel said.
According to EUIF spokespeople, a greater command of the Estonian language is often required of an individual to land and retain a job. Alongside unemployed residents, those already employed will be entitled to receive Estonian language instruction with support from the EUIF under the "Work and Study!" programme.
Measures to prevent unemployment are aimed at workers who need support in switching jobs or retaining employment due to lack or obsolescence of skills, as well as supporting employers in finding and equipping workers with necessary skills and conducting rearrangements.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS