Development of Project Management Competencies among Members of the Roma Community in Slovenia

Abstract:

The Roma community is the largest transnational minority in Europe with a population of over 10 million. However, the people who are part of it are still often discriminated against, both racially and socially, and don’t have the same opportunities in the field of education, employment, housing and healthcare services as other citizens and minorities. Recently, this issue was recognized by the European Union and many of its member countries. In Slovenia, the Roma group is recognized as a community with particular ethnic and cultural characteristics, but as in the rest of the European countries, problems like social exclusion, insufficient education and high unemployment still persist. Therefore, a project was designed in order to address these issues. Given the importance project management is gaining in contemporary business, and the increasing need for competent individuals in the field to cope with the challenges and problems that this type of work brings, the idea was to develop precisely these competencies among members of the Roma community and facilitate the development of their careers in this field, as well as self-employment.