The initiatives that the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is already implementing to promote vocational training and the acquisition of skills and those that it plans for the future were discussed, among other things, in today’s meeting between Minister Kostis Hatzidakis and the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas.

Given that in 2023 is the European Year of Skills, Mr. Schinas presented the Commission’s priorities for the planned actions at national and local level that will emphasize gaining access to the “ecosystem” of skills and those who have not had until now, such as e.g. the inhabitants of remote areas.

Mr. Hatzidakiss, for his part, noted the restart of vocational training in Greece.

In fact, he emphasized that two large-scale programs for the acquisition of green and digital skills have already been implemented, with a total of 270,000 beneficiaries, employed and unemployed, and that more will follow, highlighting the dual support of the EU (from the resources of the Recovery Fund and the new NSRF ) in this effort.

After the meeting, the vice-president of the European Commission, responsible for the Promotion of the European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, said: “I informed my minister friend, Kostis Hatzidakis, about our first thoughts and planning for the European Year of Skills, which we are celebrating this year. It is an excellent opportunity to re-invigorate the labor market across Europe. To equip young people, as well as adults, who have been cut off from the labor market with skills. People who do not have easy access to the provision of vocational training. And in this big pan-European effort we want to take skills out of the corridors of Brussels, because it is an issue where national governments and local authorities have and want to have a role and responsibility. So we had a first discussion today about how we’re going to structure this important cause at the national level. We need a great knowledge revolution in Europe. We have fewer people than we need in critical areas such as the digital and green transitions, but we also need this revolution to be fair. To equally concern all European citizens, regardless of their economic level and where they live. I’m sure we’ll make it».

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, underlined: ““I’m looking for workers and I can’t find them”: we often hear this from employers, and one of the reasons is the skills problem. That’s why we decided to make a new start with the “Jobs Again” law, to fundamentally upgrade the system of training and skills acquisition. We pay based on training results. We have cooperation for the first time with public Universities, but also cooperation with international technology giants, which certify the acquisition of knowledge in cutting-edge fields. We are happy that the European Commission is funding us more than ever before, not only through the NSRF, but also through the Recovery Fund. We are even happier, because the Greek vice-president of the Commission, Margaritis Schinas, shows a special interest in this issue and I think that this year, as it is the year of skills throughout the European Union, will also contribute to the exchange of good practices in order to take this issue even further».

According to an announcement by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the meeting was attended by, apart from Mr. Schina and Hatzidaki, the head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Greece, Niovi Riggou, the general secretary of Employment Promotion, Eleni Gioti and the deputy directors of the Public Employment Service (DYPA), Gianna Hormova, George Karahalios and George Christopoulos.