The IDA project aimed to provide tailored education in digital marketing to individuals with disabilities and limited opportunities. This education offered better prospects for employment and independent work. The project achieved its objective by developing and piloting a digital marketing course. Partner institutions collaborated and shared their knowledge. We successfully implemented the pilot course. The project's anticipated plan was inclusion of 20 disadvantaged individuals to complete the pilot digital marketing education. After the course, these participants were expected to enhance their digital skills to the point where they could start working as digital marketers. In the project's final stage, we planed at least 2 participants to find their first job. The project fostered inclusion and diversity in education. The course covered topics related to digital content and the use of online digital tools. Following the pilot phase with the participants, the course became accessible to unemployed individuals in Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. This expansion contributed to the availability of high-quality learning opportunities for adults and disadvantaged individuals.
Digital marketing is an industry in constant growth. Thanks to the fast development of ICT and the accessibility of the internet, online marketing became the first choice for many businesses to promote their products and services. The COVID-19 reinforced the need for businesses to reach their customers online and the need for qualified experts in digital marketing was growing. Digital marketing offered the possibility for distance working and could be done independently of one's location. This opened an opportunity for people with disabilities to integrate into the labor market. In N.Macedonia, 32,000 adults with disabilities are registered as recipients of social welfare. In Bulgaria, 14.7% are single parents, and 8.6% registered persons with disabilities. With this project, we improved access to training opportunities in the IT sector and digital marketing for people from marginalized groups. With new skills, they increased their chances of a self-determined life, employment and equal participation in society. The economy received qualified specialists, "digital marketers, In turn, integrated people with physical disabilities into the labor market and increased domestic economic performance, brake down the stigma about abilities