The Russian Red Cross (RRC) has expanded geographic scope of its support program for refugees and displaced persons from Donbass and Ukraine. Now they can complete RRC-funded vocational training, retraining and refreshment courses in any region throughout Russia.
The project is being implemented in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IRFC).
The choice of training institution and the field of study is up to program participants, the only limitations being course duration (up to 3 months) and cost (up to 60,000 rubles). These two parameters were derived from nationwide education services market research. Besides, the selected training institution must have a proper educational services license.
President of the Russian Red Cross Pavel Savchuk emphasized that for many people arriving from Donbass and Ukraine, training constitutes a major step in adaptation.
“Many people were forced to flee from their homes immediately and had no time to pick up their occupational credentials. In some cases, refugees and displaced persons have graduation diplomas that must be validated, which also takes time. In addition, quite a few of them have long contemplated taking on a different profession but were hesitant to actually do it. The RRC program helps them adapt to a new environment, learn an in-demand trade and make the first step towards sustainable living. This is why we are broadening the program’s geographic scope so that more people could take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
The program was started in September 2023 in 32 regions. Since that time, nearly 300 people have completed training. The highest demand is for beauty industry professions such as hairdresser and nail technician. Many displaced persons are learning accounting, business correspondence and finance skills.
Program participants are offered targeted support which includes training cost coverage as well as provision of training materials and relevant skill acquisition tools and equipment. The application procedure is as simple as possible: one can either apply online or go to the nearest RRC branch. The applicant is required to produce a passport, a displaced person certificate, and price quotation from the training institution.
