Georgian authorities to provide indigent citizens vouchers for professional training

Starting from March 20, in Georgia, socially vulnerable persons will receive vouchers for 1000 laris (about 606 US dollars) for education at professional training centres or vocational colleges. This was announced today by Nika Gilauri, Georgian Prime Minister, at the government meeting.

Let us remind you that from February 21, Georgia launched the process of distributing 20-lari (about 12 US dollars) vouchers for electricity, which will be presumably given to more than 1.2 million families. Reserve Fund of Georgia allocates for those purposes 25 million laris (about 15 million US dollars).

According to Nika Gilauri, the indigent citizens will receive vouchers for professional training at the information centres of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, which will be initially opened in Tbilisi and in the west of the country in Kutaisi and Kobuleti. Later, the similar centres will start operating in Zugdidi (Western Georgia) and in the east of the country in Akhaltsikh and Telavi.

According to the Prime Minister, vouchers will enable socially vulnerable persons to learn the desired profession. Starting from April 5, all other citizens will also be able to receive vouchers on condition that they will pass an exam in general skills and gain the minimum required number of points. And for those citizens of Georgia, who will not or cannot pass the exam, the state will finance the training for 70 percent, the news agency "Novosti-Georgia" reports.

According to a survey conducted in September 2011 by the US National Democratic Institute (NDI), the problem of unemployment is the most important one in Georgia. 62 percent of the residents of the republic mention impossibility of finding a normal job as one of their main problem. This was reported by the news agency "GHN".

According to official information, the unemployment rate in the country is about 15 percent.