The EU Member States, which wish to take advantage of the resources of the Structural Funds, have to draw up several documents. The first of them – it is the National Development Plan. It is implemented through the operational programmes. The Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development is one of such programmes. Its provisions are presented in more detail in the Programme Complement. To write a financial application and to implement such project one has to well know both documents.

The following is the main objective of SOP HRD:

"creation of an open, knowledge based society through creating theconditions for human resource development through education, training and employment".

The specific objective of the programme is to develop a competitive economy based on knowledge and entrepreneurship. The harmonized development of economy should ensure employment growth and improvement of social, economic and spatial cohesion with the European Union at the regional and national level.

The SOP HRD objectives are achieved through three priorities:

• Priority 1: Active labour market and vocational and social inclusion policy
  The objective of this priority is to strengthen the potential of the institutional servicing of employment services claimants, social assistance and other institutions operating for the labour market. It should also support measures for the benefit of all job-seekers and the unemployed persons and persons from high-risk groups. It is also the objective of the priority to provide equal opportunities of women in access to the labour market and employment.
  
  
• Priority 2: Development of a knowledge-based society
  The education system should enable persons in any age to acquire skills that will allow them to enter the labour market. For this reason it is the objective of the priority to increase access to education and to raise its level. It is also important to incorporate modern technologies to the education process. Other objectives of the priority are: to raise qualifications of employees, to promote education in the field of entrepreneurship and flexible forms of employment. And this priority also aims at the improvement of the quality of work of administration.
  
  
• Priority 3: Technical Assistance
  The objective of the priority is to support institutions involved in SOP HRD implementation to enable them to effectively allocate EU resources, in accordance with community policies.

The Department for ESF Management in the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Social Policy is responsible for SOP HRD implementation. SOP HRD is a „mono-fund” programme (all its measures are co-financed by the European Social Fund). ESF may also co-finance projects, which achieve the objectives of priority 2 of the Integrated Regional Development Operational Programme.

PROGRAMME COMPLEMENT of the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2004-2006

The Programme Complement defines how the Managing Authority of the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development (SOP HRD) will ensure effective use of funds from the European Social Fund (ESF) to support employment and human resources in Poland in 2004-2006.

The Programme Complement encompasses guidelines set out in the following documents:

• the Employment Policy Frame of Reference which includes a description of all of the measures aimed at support and development of human resources in Poland from both the ESF and the European Regional Development Fund and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantees Fund - Section of Guarantees and Financial Instrument of Supporting Fishery
  
• the National Development Plan (NDP) for 2004-2006 which describes methods of use of Structural Funds resources, including the priorities and measures supported from the ESF. The NDP will be the basis for signing the Community Support Framework between the Polish Government and the European Commission, which will define in detail the amount and directions of use of Structural Funds resources, including ESF funds, supporting the human resources measures in 2004-2006
  
• Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development (SOP HRD)

The Programme Complement is the document implementing the strategy and priorities of the operational programme.The basic objective of the Programme Complement is to set out in detail SOP HRD records, particularly as concerns the defining of types of projects to be supported from the ESF under the respective measures, allowing the Managing Authority to correctly manage, monitor and evaluate the programme’s implementation, priorities and the respective measures..

The Programme Complement also offers information on the method of implementing SOP HRD objectives, delivered to the European Commission.In order to ensure proper implementation of the adopted measures and priorities, the Programme Complement includes indicators for monitoring the respective measures. The adopted indicators will serve to evaluate progress in the implementation of the SOP HRD by the Monitoring Committee of the SOP HRD and the European Commission.

This document defines the respective project providers, i.e. subjects entitled to submit projects that may be supported from the ESF. It describes the system of project selection, whose procedures comply with the institutional, legal and public finances system in force in Poland. It also sets the general rules for project selection, the mode for submitting and examining applications, and the grounds for approving projects for implementation.

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