The PR agency PARC Communications organised a communication campaign and awareness-raising activities on dual technical vocational education in the Republic of Moldova between February and August 2023. The campaign was carried out within the project ‘Strong Businesses and Communities for Moldova’, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-funded by the European Union and the Swiss Government. The project is implemented by GIZ Moldova with the support of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova.

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Task:

Raising awareness of the target audience about dual vocational education and training, an alternative form of traditional technical vocational education and training that offers many advantages for young people. Students spend about 30% of the duration of the study program at the institution and the rest, almost 70%, at the partner company. In addition to the bursary, accommodation and free meals provided by the state, students also receive remuneration from the company, which starts from 4000 lei.

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Challenge: 

In the past years, numerous communication, information and awareness-raising activities have been carried out at the national level under the motto ‘Study. Work. Earn money.‘, aimed at informing young people and their parents as well as economic agents about the opportunities and benefits of dual education. According to recent studies, 71% of graduates of dual program are employed within 6 months after graduation. Out of the total number of employed graduates, more than 60% work in the companies where they did their internship. However, the number of applications for the places provided for such training is insufficient and requires new efforts every year. 

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Solution and Results: 

A communication campaign was developed and implemented to motivate young people and especially their parents to choose dual education as the next stage of their education. Parents and grandparents are the ones who most often contribute to this decision. Success stories of those who are studying today or have completed the program are also effective. Visually active content was developed and promoted to all target groups. Regional promotional events - Dual Education Days in Comrat and Soroca - were also integrated into the campaign:

• The agency developed branding for the promotion campaign as well as key messages for the target audiences: young people and parents

• To reinforce the key messages, a content plan was developed to promote dual education on social media through informative images, videos and success stories

• Motivational texts and images were developed for promotion in Google Ads, videos for YouTube, and the information on the ipt.dual.md page was updated

• 4 video success stories were prepared to promote the opportunities of dual education among the target group

• Dual Education Days were organised in Comrat and Soroca. The agency was responsible for creating event concepts, scenarios, coordinating the entire logistical process, communication with partner companies and educational institutions, media coverage of the events

The implemented concept and the promotional tools used proved to be effective, exceeding the target audience interaction rates. The number of views of the videos and information banners increased steadily, and during the enrolment period, the number of requests for additional information from stakeholders also increased.