The new, joint actions, which will be implemented in the next period, were presented by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Adonis Georgiadis and the commander of the Public Employment Service (DYPA) and National Coordinator for Skills, Spyros Protopsaltis, in the context of the extension of the memorandum of cooperation between DYPA and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The actions are as follows:

– “Cloud Practitioner Essentials AWS” training program: The action will start tomorrow, Tuesday, December 5, 2023, with the submission of applications by interested parties and concerns the provision of modern distance training to 1,000 unemployed people, aged 18-60.

The main purpose of the program is to acquire skills and enhance the employability of the unemployed through a comprehensive understanding of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud. The training will be conducted through an official educational institution for Greece, OTEAcademy (Amazon training partner).

– Integrated training and certification program, with training providers paid, based on job placement, for up to 1,000 unemployed. The purpose of the training program, which will be implemented with funding from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, is the acquisition of expertise in digital subjects in high demand in the labor market, without the necessary previous relevant professional experience, and the immediate placement in jobs related to the subject of training , which will be ensured under the responsibility of the training provider. The remuneration of the providers will be based on the completion of six months of employment of the beneficiaries. AWS is the first IT company to express its interest in participating with the “re/Restart” program. According to a related announcement, the re/Start program started in the USA, with the main goal of retraining veterans and their families, and is gradually expanding to Europe and around the world with great success.

– Innovative training center in thematic subjects of the IT sector, with beneficiaries of Disabled Persons, who belong to the medium and high functioning autism spectrum. DYPA, in addition to the two special education training structures – the Vocational Training School for Disabled Persons in Athens and the Educational Center for Vocational Training of Adolescents and Young People with Special Needs in Thessaloniki – has decided to create an innovative IT training center, with beneficiaries of Persons with Disabilities, the which belong to the spectrum of medium and high functioning autism. The new structure will initially operate in Athens (in a specially designed space) as an annex of the Athens School for Disabled Persons in Galatsi, while, for the implementation of the project, DYPA will also collaborate with Amazon within the framework of the memorandum of cooperation between the two entities.

As pointed out in the announcement, DYPA and Amazon Web Services, in July 2021, signed a memorandum of cooperation, in order to promote their cooperation in the fields of innovation and economic development, as well as the development of the Greek workforce. In this context, initiatives and actions are already being implemented to train the workforce in the computing cloud (computing cloud), promote education in digital skills of future generations and promote cloud-enabled businesses in the country.

The Minister of Labor and Social Security, Adonis Georgiadis, said: “I warmly thank Amazon Web Services and DYPA for the excellent and productive cooperation, which brings great profit and guaranteed work to the card holders of the program. I am very happy that this important program will not only continue, but will be strengthened with additional actions for People with Disabilities, to whom we must give the same opportunities as the rest of the candidates. Right now, cloud services are the most in demand in the labor market. Amazon Web Services is the world leader in the cloud market and we could not have chosen a better partner to train our future workforce in the modern professions that the job market needs.”

For his part, the director of the Public Sector Europe, Middle East and Africa, Cameron Brooks of Amazon Web Services, noted: “As innovation powered by the AWS Cloud becomes the ‘new normal’ for customers in Greece, the companies seek to identify and hire the talent they need to make the most of these opportunities. We are renewing our collaboration with DYPA, providing more education and training opportunities in cloud technologies in Greece, now also covering people on the autism spectrum. We look forward to playing a key role in this next step in Greece’s digital development and thank DYPA for its commitment by extending the memorandum of cooperation.”

The governor of DYPA, Spyros Protopsaltis, underlined: “Digital skills are essential in the vast majority of professions. Until now, we have excellent cooperation with Amazon Web Services and with the next actions, which we have planned, we will enable our unemployed fellow citizens to specialize in digital subject items that are in high demand in the labor market, with the quality and know-how of Amazon. Our collaboration does not stop here, but extends to the innovative IT training center for people on the autism spectrum. Greece has been making leaps and bounds in digital transformation in recent years, however, in order to reap its benefits, we must ensure that human resources are equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills.”