Ukraine continues to advance towards deeper integration with the European Union, opening new opportunities to participate in EU programmes aimed at supporting social change and community development.
Among the key instruments is EaSI (Employment and Social Innovation) strand of the ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus) — EU funding mechanism that supports the development of social policy and labour market systems.
To enable Ukrainian organisations and institutions — including NGOs, municipalities, public authorities, educational institutions, employment agencies, social enterprises as well as SMEs and private-sector actors — to fully benefit from these opportunities,, the country needs specialists and trainers who can support organisations in developing strong project proposals, forming consortia, working with European partners and applying innovative approaches to addressing social challenges.
The Training-of-Trainers Programme 2025 has been launched to meet this need. It aims to prepare the first cohort of Ukrainian trainers specialising in EaSI strand of ESF+ and EU-level social innovation.
What is the Training-of-Trainers Programme 2025?
The Training-of-Trainers Programme 2025 is an intensive six-session online training series for future trainers at national, regional and local levels.
The programme will be delivered by international expert Marco Puxi, with participants divided into two groups of 8–12 people each. Since 1992, Marco has been working in the field of evaluation and implementation of labour market strategies and programmes in Germany, most of them co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). He gained international experience in a series of accession countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Croatia and the Baltic countries. As a trainer, he performed a variety of trainings in the context of the ESF, labour market integration of vulnerable groups and gender issues.
Format
- online (Zoom);
- duration of each session: 2–2.5 hours;
- training language: English;
- start date: 10 December 2025;
- expected end date: end of January 2026.
What does the training cover?
Across six sessions, participants will:
- examine the legislative and political context of the EU (European Semester, Country Specific Recommendations, Cohesion Policy, ESF+, EaSI);
- study the European Pillar of Social Rights (20 principles) and its relevance to EaSI projects;
- learn the EU approach to social innovation, including the full cycle of SI projects;
- understand EaSI financing rules: cost eligibility, budgeting structure and control mechanisms;
- gain practical skills for partnership development, forming consortia and preparing applications for EaSI calls.
Who can apply?
Applications are welcome from professionals with experience in:
- training, teaching or facilitation;
- NGOs or social programmes;
- public policy or social innovation;
- labour market and employment issues;
- project management or grant programmes;
- financial administration or project budgeting.
Eligibility criteria
- at least 1 year of training experience;
- grant writing experience;
- relevant professional experience in NGOs, social innovation, employment or grant-related work;
- English proficiency at B1–B2 level or higher;
- motivation to support Ukrainian organisations and institutions — including NGOs, municipalities, public authorities, educational institutions, employment agencies, social enterprises as well as SMEs and even private-sector actors — in engaging with EU programmes.
How to apply?
Please send the following to [email protected]:
- CV;
- motivation letter in Ukrainian (up to one page).
Application deadline: 8 December 2025.
Selection results will be communicated by 9 December 2025.
Opportunities for further cooperation
Upon completion of the programme, top-performing participants may join the project as National Trainers on Social Innovations, providing support to Ukrainian NGOs in preparing and submitting applications for EaSI calls.
The programme “Capacity building at municipal level to strengthen services for IDPs, returnees, and host communities while addressing labour market challenges” is implemented by the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within the framework of the project “REYOIN — Promoting socio-economic integration of returnees, internally displaced persons, and the population of host communities in Ukraine”, which is carried out by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.