“Go Forward”: Program to train 150,000 workers in digital and green skills

A total of 150,000 workers in all sectors of the economy will have the opportunity to upgrade their skills with the new Go Forward Program of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

The implementing body of the program is the Public Employment Service (DYPA) and the financing comes from resources of the Recovery and Resilience Fund, amounting to 154.5 million euros.

For the first time, DYPA, in collaboration with the Training and Lifelong Learning Centers (KEDiVim) of the Universities, international technology giants and licensed Lifelong Learning Centers (KDBM), will offer employees a long list of individual training programs with an emphasis on digital and “green” skills, from which they will be able to choose, depending on their educational and professional profile.

For example, the choices will include from:

– basic digital office tools,
– programs for social media marketing and e-shop management, up to
– more highly specialized subjects such as data analytics, artificial intelligence applications, logistics and adoption of digital technologies in the agricultural sector.

The goal is for employees to adapt to the demands of modern trends in the workplace, to upgrade their perspectives and consequently contribute to the modernization of the Greek economy.

Applications and selection of beneficiaries

From today at 1:00 p.m., those interested, employees of the private sector, will be able to submit an application for participation to the program via the website voucher.gov.gr, by clicking on the link “Registration in the Register of Beneficiary Employees for training”. After the first phase of the Register of Beneficiaries is finalized, employees will be able to choose the training program they wish to attend, from the list of those offered that will appear on the aforementioned website.

The selection of the beneficiaries will be made in order of priority of submission of the application and until exhaustion of the offered positions.

Each beneficiary will attend a theoretical training program of a total duration of 80 hours (live and distance learning).

Upon completion of the program and successful certification of knowledge, the trainee will receive an educational allowance amounting to 5 euros/hour of training. Beneficiaries who will complete the training are required to participate in the certification exams and with their successful examination they will receive from the certification body they have chosen a “Certificate of knowledge and skills”.

Therefore if someone completes the 80-hour program and passes the certification exam, they will receive a training allowance of 400 euros.

The “Go Forward” program is part of the overall policy of the Government and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for the retraining and upgrading of the skills of both the unemployed and the employed. Utilizing European funds, the largest workforce training effort in the country’s history has been planned, with the goal of having 500,000 workers and unemployed citizens receive a certificate of completion of a training program in the coming years.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, said: “Today the developments in the economy and the labor market are running at high speeds. That is why not only the unemployed, but also the employed must be trained and retrained in green and especially digital skills. So the program of the Public Employment Service to train 150,000 workers on these subjects has a great added value”.

ANNEX
The basic steps and requirements for applying to the new program

1. Right to submit a Participation Application for registration in the Register of Beneficiary Employees for training through the KEDiViM of A.E.I. and licensed KDBMs have employees who meet at least the following conditions:
– They are private sector employees.
– They are over 18 years of age.
– They are graduates of at least compulsory education.
Each interested party has the right to submit an application for participation and attend only one training program.

2. The submission of Applications for the participation of workers in the project is done exclusively electronically. In particular, any interested party to register in the Register of Beneficiaries must:
– To complete and submit through the voucher.gov.gr page, entering with TAXISnet codes, the “Participation Application” form.
– To attach the following supporting documents to document the information he stated in his “Participation Application” and which the beneficiary should present, after selecting the program, to the training provider of his choice.
· Copy of valid Identity Card/Passport.
· A copy of a high school diploma, at least, of Compulsory Education or a higher degree.
· Responsible Declaration via gov.gr, in which you will declare that:
a. Does not attend and/or has not attended another training program implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0” funded by the European Union- NextGenerationEU, action 16913 New strategy for lifelong learning & the national system of skills upgrading .
b. Has not attended a training program in the same subject during the last two (2) years prior to the publication of this invitation.
· Any additional supporting document (e.g. English language certificate) that may be required by the program that the beneficiary will choose in the second phase.
· Additional Responsible Statements as stated in the relevant Invitation.
All the above supporting documents are posted on the website voucher.gov.gr by the beneficiary.
– To “save” his application in an electronic medium, as well as the proof of submission of his application, which states the “Participation Application Submission Code” (KAVAS), as well as the exact date and time of its submission. The KAVAS code is strictly personal and unique for each participation application, it is automatically granted by the relevant computerized system upon its submission, it is the proof of its submission and is used instead of the applicant’s name in all documents (Registries, training voucher, etc. .a.).

3. After the submission of the application and as long as the basic participation conditions are met, the Register of Beneficiaries will be established, by decision of the Governor of DYPA, which will be published on the website voucher.gov.gr.

4. Beneficiaries then select the training program they wish to attend, from the list of offered training programs that have been evaluated and appear on voucher.gov.gr. The training programs are shown to the beneficiary according to the educational level (graduate of compulsory education, secondary, tertiary, etc.), as well as the other academic qualifications, which he has declared in his application.

5. The training providers verify the supporting documents of the beneficiaries and if they meet the eligibility conditions, they proceed to activate the training voucher (Training Voucher), through the conclusion of the bilateral contract between the provider and the beneficiary.
6. The selection of the beneficiaries will be made in order of priority of submission of the application, as long as the individual conditions for participation in the training program they choose are met (such as educational level, knowledge of a foreign language, where required, etc.) and until the places offered are exhausted.

7. Each trainee will attend a theoretical training program concerning the development of digital or “green” knowledge, abilities and skills, with a total duration of 80 hours.
The implementation of the programs will be carried out with 12 hours of live training and with the method of distance training (e-learning), which will include at least 48 hours of synchronous distance training and up to 20 hours of asynchronous distance training.
The daily duration of live education and modern distance education cannot exceed four (4) hours. Each training program, lasting up to 80 hours, must be completed within 2 months at the latest.

8. Beneficiaries who have completed the training are required to participate in the certification exams. Each beneficiary who successfully completes the exams is granted a “Knowledge and Skills Certificate” by the certification body that has chosen it. In case of failure, a “Certificate of participation” in the certification exams is granted by the certification body.

9. Each beneficiary who completed the program of Continuing Professional Training and Certification of knowledge and skills is entitled to receive an educational allowance, amounting to 5 euros/hour of training, so for 80 hours of training he will receive 400 euros. The beneficiary is required to complete the training and pass the certification exams in order to receive the full educational allowance, minus any absences.
The beneficiary is required to complete the training and pass the certification exam to receive the full benefit.

In particular, the payment of the educational allowance to the beneficiaries is as follows: After the successful completion of the training and the participation of the beneficiary in certification exams (regardless of the result), the beneficiary is entitled to an amount corresponding to 70% of the total entitled amount for all the program training hours, minus absences. If he succeeds in the certification exams, he is entitled to 100% of the total entitled amount for all the training hours of the program, minus absences.

10. The beneficiary is deleted from the Register of Beneficiaries and the training voucher to which he is entitled is canceled if the voucher is not activated within the prescribed period, if the beneficiary exceeds the permitted limit of absences, if he does not meet the criteria for participation in the action, if he interrupts the training without justification and if he submits supporting documents that are not in accordance with those specified in the respective invitation.

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