MCC Education Grants Activity

Georgia II - Vocational Education Project - Education Grants Activity: The objective of the Competitive Program Improvement Grants (PICG) Activity was to create a competitive grants program awarding TVET programs that introduced or expanded innovative approaches to building skills for employment. MCA-Georgia ran a $12 million competitive grant mechanism to solicit and fund innovative, industry-driven proposals.

Applicants were TVET providers that partnered with employers and/or international organizations.

The competitive grant facility encouraged innovation and the development of new programs that could not be procured through the existing market. Grantees developed, expanded, or improved TVET programs to meet identified skills demanded by the labor market.

Each grant required matching funds of at least 10-15 percent from the grantee and its partners in order to stimulate a private-public partnership model for TVET program delivery...This activity also aimed to significantly contribute to the goal of increasing career opportunities and pathways for girls and women in the Georgian economy.

In partnership with UN Women, MCA-Georgia provided tailored gender and social inclusion training for administrators from the TVET providers that received grants, instilling more gender-aware and inclusive TVET teaching.

While total enrollment in the PICG courses exceeded the compact target, only 14 percent of the participants were female.

Although recruitment of women into traditionally male-dominated TVET fields proved challenging for grantees, partnerships with the U.S.

Embassy in Georgia and the private sector exposed TVET providers to targeted recruitment tools in an effort to create employment opportunities specifically targeted at increasing female enrollment.

These opportunities included a three-week tour of U.S. community colleges with a successful track record of recruiting and graduating women.