The certainty that Greece has the necessary potential to take the lead in the transition to a sustainable future, expressed the Minister of Labor, Domna Michaelidou, in her video message at the 18th multi-conference “Innovation & Development” of the ka-business.gr website, which takes place today in Thessaloniki.

He announced that the immediate plans of the government are to implement targeted programs for the integration of young people into the labor market, the acquisition of professional experience and the strengthening of young entrepreneurship.

“All this, combined with the utilization of available financial tools, can lead to the fight against youth unemployment and the shift towards a more sustainable and resilient economy for the next generations,” the minister underlined.

He characterized youth unemployment as one of the most widespread challenges for modern society, which not only deprives young people of the opportunity to contribute actively to the economy, but also undermines social cohesion. “Sustainable development models and fostering innovation are important factors in shaping an economy that will prosper in the future, while ensuring opportunities for all. This problem is detected at a pan-European level and for this reason the resources to be invested are more than ever. That’s why we have to move quickly but also efficiently, so that ways of absorbing them into the labor market can be found,” he stressed.

He added that the mismatch between the offered skills and the real needs of the labor market is an important reason for the low participation of young people in the labor market. “To this end, the importance of training young people cannot be underestimated in a rapidly changing world.

Continuous education and skills development are emerging as necessary conditions to ensure good jobs for our young people, but also for them to acquire the necessary adaptability to the new challenges that are coming. Areas such as green energy, digital technology, sustainable agriculture and health will be, if they are not already, at the center of the needs for the professions of the future.

Investment in education and training, with an emphasis on digital skills, green technology and entrepreneurship, is essential,” noted the Minister of Labor, who emphasized that “we must encourage the development of innovation ecosystems, where collaboration between the public and private sectors, but also of the academic community, will be the driving force for the emergence of new business activities”.

After high school there is not only university

“After the high school, there is not only the university”: with this phrase the Deputy Minister of Education, Ioanna Lytrivi, gave the impression of the growing importance of professional education and training, in which there has always been a gap in Greece, also due to the fact that the society treated her in the past as the outcast and outcast of education. “The university is not the only path to education immediately after school.

Post-secondary education and training is a path, an alternative route, which has not been particularly taken care of” he noted and added that in the last five years the ND government has made the strategic choice, which was reflected in the first law-framework for vocational education and training.

In this context, as he recalled, all vocational education and training structures, which “give” degrees and diplomas of levels 3, 4 (the Vocational High School diploma) and 5 (the graduates of the former IEK) were placed under a single center in National Qualifications Framework. After their diplomas have been recognized by the relevant certification authority and after they have successfully completed their exams, students receive a level 5 degree, while the equivalent of a university education is level 6. “In short, we are talking about a strong degree with ” he said and added that under the same single center are the Career/Interaction Offices (“we will start with 60 such structures throughout the country”), which -among other things- provide career counseling to young people and have local characteristics , essentially representing a regional development policy in practice.

Vacancies for internships and work will also be posted in the specific offices – in contact with the social partners and representatives of the market and workers. “For example, we are in Western Macedonia, which is currently going through a coalification period.

We will therefore have a great need in the region for specialists in new and renewable energy sources, for green skills and professions” he explained and also referred to the flexibility of these structures, which when the market will eventually become saturated in specific specialties, will be able to be adapted to highlight the real job needs.