Satu Mare, 17.09.2026.
The official opening of the Romanian-Ukrainian cross-border project “ProfiSchoolUp: High-Quality Education – A Better Life: Improving the Quality of Vocational Education in the Romania-Ukraine Cross-Border Area” took place on 10 September in Ukraine. The event was organized in Ivano-Frankivsk by the project’s lead partner, the Municipal and Regional Development Center – NGO Resource Center.
A delegation from the Satu Mare County Intercommunity Development Association (ADI Satu Mare), a partner in the project, also attended the opening conference. On this occasion, the project’s objectives, activities and timeline were presented, and the partners discussed the next steps of the collaboration.
The project aims to contribute to improving the quality of education, as well as developing students’ skills and competencies for the labour market and further studies, by increasing the capacity of vocational education in the regions of Ivano-Frankivsk, Satu Mare and Sighetu Marmației. To this end, the educational infrastructure will be modernized in 6 selected vocational schools, and the quality of educational services will be improved through the development and updating of study programmes.
The “ProfiSchoolUp” project is implemented through the Interreg NEXT Romania-Ukraine Programme 2021-2027, project code ROUA00639. The project’s total budget is EUR 438,244.28, of which EUR 394,419.85 represents non-reimbursable funding granted by the European Union through the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI). The project runs from 28.07.2026 to 27.10.2027. The partners involved in implementing the project are: the Municipal and Regional Development Center – NGO Resource Center from Ukraine (Lead Partner), the Executive Committee of the Ivano-Frankivsk Local Council (Ukraine), the Satu Mare County Intercommunity Development Association and the Sighetu Marmației Municipality (Romania).
Within the project, the Satu Mare County Intercommunity Development Association manages a budget of EUR 139,450.48. Most of this amount is allocated to equipping a workshop for photovoltaic panel installers at the “Simion Bărnuțiu” Technological High School in Carei, and a carpentry workshop at the Technological High School in Tășnad. The project also includes experience exchanges: two cross-border workshops, a cross-border event for 48 students, as well as interactive online sessions.
Contact details for further information:
Nicoleta Lașan – Project Manager, Phone: 0742921114, E-mail: adijudetsm@yahoo.com.
For Satu Mare County, developing dual education and training specialists is a priority, given the growing demand on the local labour market for well-trained workers with practical skills. Practice-oriented vocational training, adapted to employers’ needs, can contribute in the long run both to helping young people from the county find attractive jobs in their home region and to ensuring the workforce needed by the local economy. Modernizing vocational education infrastructure and expanding dual education is a strategic objective for the county authorities, and the “ProfiSchoolUp” project contributes concretely to achieving this objective.
The Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania-Ukraine Programme 2021-2027 is funded by the European Union and co-financed by the states participating in the programme.
This material was produced with the support of the European Union. Its content is the responsibility of the Satu Mare County Intercommunity Development Association and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or of the management structures of the Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania-Ukraine Programme 2021-2027.
