Building our staff to capacity was one of the most important issues challenging the Agency at the beginning of the 2004-2006 period. We invested significant time and resources to develop and retain competencies and talents of our staff. With no doubt, I can call the Agency a learning organisation, one in which facilitates the learning of its employees and which transforms itself continuously. This is one of the reasons we have successfully administrated projects and attained large amounts of support provided under the European Social Fund in 2004-2006. In 2009, the GDP impact assessment indicated that the support provided according to the Single Programming Document in 2006 rose GDP by 1.2% and in 2007 by 1.6%, and the maximum effect was seen in 2008, when GDP grew by 2.2% (ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT: 2012. 17 (2).
The support from the EU Structural Funds for Lithuania in 2004-2006 was provided under the Single Programming Document for 2004-2006 (SPD) and approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and by the European Commission. In 2004, the Agency was assigned projects which were to be managed in accordance to the five measures held within Priority 2 “Human Resource Development“ of the Single Programming Document of Lithuania 2004-2006, and are as follows:
Measure 2.1. Development of Employability – to improve the employability of the unemployed and their integration into the labour market in order to help reduce unemployment in general and prevent long-term unemployment in particular.
Measure 2.2. Development of Labour Force Competencies and the Ability to Adapt to Changes – to increase the competitiveness of businesses across the whole Lithuanian economy through investment in training and skills development to help employees adapt to labour market changes and the rapidly evolving skills needs of employers.
Measure 2.3. Prevention of Social Exclusion and Social Integration – to reduce social exclusion and carry out its prevention, to ensure equal opportunities on the labour market.
Measure 2.4. Development of Conditions for Lifelong Learning – to develop a system of education and vocational education and training, science and higher education and reading high-quality conditions for lifelong learning.
Measure 2.5. Improvement of Human Resources Quality in Scientific Research and Innovations – to maximize sustainable employment by providing third level education (postgraduate, doctoral studies) and to increase the capacity of research students and researchers to develop scientific knowledge of an international level necessary for business and industry, training specialists meeting the needs of the economy (capable of applying innovations).
During this programing period:
• 643 projects were supported;
• Signed on to contractual agreements totalling 217,05 mln. Euro;
• More than 320.000 participants were trained;
• Absorbed 101% of funding.
