The event was held for the pioneering European program Erasmus+ ENTRnet, in which the Public Employment Service (PYPA) participates.

The aim of the event was to present the results and deliverables of the ENTRnet project, which focuses on promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.

The main purpose of the ENTRnet project is to support the establishment of new national or regional networks of adult education providers in Greece, Italy, Belgium and Romania, in order to facilitate the participation of these countries in European cooperation in the field of entrepreneurship.

In addition, through strengthening cooperation at European and national level, adult education providers will be supported to improve their capacity to provide high quality education in the field of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindset and skills. In this context, online training courses on entrepreneurship were created by the program partners.

Speaking at the event, DYPA’s governor, Spyros Protopsaltis, emphasized that all parties involved should work closely with each other and support adult education providers to offer high-quality education and training in entrepreneurship. As he said, for DYPA, this means integrating the new tools into the new entrepreneurship subsidy programs, as well as EPAS and IEK, since many graduates start their own businesses.

The First Deputy General Secretary of GSEVEE and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Small Businesses of GSEVEE (IME/GSEVEE), Ioannis Vafiadakis, described the characteristics that shape the current situation of adult education in Greece, which are coded as follows:

“- Low participation of citizens in adult education.

– Incomplete mapping of adult education providers and, consequently, lack of an integrated national policy and strategy that includes all agencies.

– Lack of synergies and integrated approach to adult education between state agencies, social partners and other stakeholders.

– Low degree of connection of adult education with the economy and entrepreneurship.

– Lack of adult education culture”.

According to Mr. Vafiadakis, “entrepreneurship is not only about the establishment and operation of businesses or self-employment. It should also be understood as the ability to turn ideas into action. Entrepreneurship education helps young people develop the ability to seek and identify opportunities. It should be a basic skill of any adult. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate it into educational systems, including adult education.”

Concluding his presentation, Mr. Vafiadakis underlined that the Small Business Institute of GSEVEE, as a body that has knowledge of the business landscape of the country and having realized this necessity, proceeded to undertake the relevant initiative for the implementation of Erasmus+, entitled Development National Networks of Adult Education Agencies in the field of Entrepreneurship/ENTRnet, with the participation of partners from four countries (Greece, Italy, Belgium and Romania).

The event was attended, among others, by the managing director of the National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP), Georgia Reboutsika, who mentioned that lifelong learning plays an important role during the career path.

For her part, the head of the General Directorate of Vocational Education and Training of DYPA, Athanasia Theodoridou, noted that the main actions of the project are the creation of national networks of adult education providers in the field of entrepreneurship in the partner countries of the program, the strengthening of the European cooperation of adult education bodies and their national networks, the development and pilot testing of national action plans, with the aim of networking, as well as the development of online educational modules with topics related to entrepreneurship.