You are here

Change in culture for utmost impact of Year of Skills Action Plan

02/06/2023 15:34

The action plan for the European Year of Skills lays a solid foundation for upgrading the skills of our country's human resources, President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday. Labor Minister Yiannis Panayiotou said that the goal is to have as many laborers as possible in the labor market.

Panayiotou unveiled on Friday the governmental action plan for the European Year of Skills, approved recently by the Cabinet. The action plan titled “Modern Professional Development for the Green and Digital Transition” was presented at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of President Nikos Christodoulides, the Commissioner for the Environment, Permanent Secretaries of Ministries and the social partners.

The government aims to involve 100,000 people, providing the labor market with modern professionals for the development of the economy and the cohesion of the society. The budget will be drawn from the THALIA program, from programs implemented by Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA) and from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.

The Labor Minister said that we need to change the culture in Cyprus so that as many citizens as possible and the economy in general benefit from this action plan.

He also said that the progress of the labor market is a top priority of the government.

President Christodoulides and Deputy Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus Nikolas Isaris delivered speeches while Director General of HRDA Yiannis Mourouzides answered questions.

HRDA is the national coordinator for the implementation of the year of skills which officially started on May 9 and will last until May 2024. The actions of the Ministry of Labor will be implemented in cooperation and coordination with the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and the Office of the Environment Commissioner.

What does the plan include, the objectives, participants, training and certificates

Panayiotou, presenting the project said that the goal is to have as many laborers as possible in the labor market. He asked for the cooperation of all, social partners and authorities, businesses, employers and the media, saying that there will be a coordination of actions for the maximum impact. Panayiotou said that “we will go everywhere, we will visit all workplaces, we will be outside and not in our offices."

The action plan includes learning activities aiming to upgrade knowledge, skills and work culture, the upgrade of the political framework with social dialogue and institutionalizing procedures to improve the interconnection of education with the economy and the strengthening of the role of professional learning and developing international partnerships with the aim to exploit expertise, exchange of know-how with the EU and international organisations, as well as bilateral agreements.

The objectives include the development of a modern professional culture, the provision of socially targeted professional learning and the promotion of professional specialization and certification.

The Minister said that we cannot all be experts in everything and we do not want to have experts on general matters.

The participants will include employed and unemployed persons, students of high schools and universities and higher institutes, soldiers, socially vulnerable groups, people out of education and training aged 15 to 29, people over 55, women out of work and people with disabilities.

The objective is also to engage people who are currently employed in the green transition and digital economy sectors, in construction industry, in hospitality industry and in retails (professions such as Photovoltaic Technician, Builder, Hybrid/Technical Vehicle Technician, Central Heating Technician, Air Conditioning / Refrigeration Technician, Salesperson, Electronic Application Developer, Waiter etc).

The objectives will be achieved through seminars, learning workshops and e-learning.

HRDA Head Yiannis Mourouzides said that depending on the group that will be specialized and depending on the subject, training will cover 80 to 150 hours (25 hours of training per week) and will be followed by an evaluation lasting from 6 to 15 hours so that participants can secure a certificate of attendance.

The new plans from the THALIA program have a budget of 1.4 million, the actions of HRDA are estimated at 1.2 million and the existing actions have a cost of 15 million with a budget drawn from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.

Plan lays a solid foundation for upgrading the skills of our country's human resources, the President says

In his greeting, President Christodoulides reiterated that the Government is working for a human-centered development model, with the aim of expanding the productive base of the economy and making better use of human potential.

He said that investment in human resources is a necessary prerequisite in a rapidly evolving international economic environment, which urgently requires adaptability and innovation, with a highly skilled workforce equipped with the necessary skills and expertise.

The President said that the ever-evolving world of work requires us to embrace lifelong learning and the continuous upgrading of knowledge and skills, and a culture of learning, innovation and continuous education must be adopted by inviting the social partners, the business world, society's agencies and every fellow citizen, to come together to achieve this goal.

Shifting to skills and expertise the only way says the EC

The Deputy Head of the Commission's representation in Cyprus, Nikolaos Isaris, referred to figures that show that over three quarters of companies in the EU report that they face difficulties in finding workers with the necessary skills, while only 37% of adults attend programs training on a regular basis.

Isaris said that we must realize that with the rapid changes that are taking place with the digital and green transition, we will have an ever-increasing need for people who can succeed in these new realities. He said that we need hard working employees who can adapt to these consecutive changes.

He added that the European Year of Skills would contribute to the creation of quality jobs, bridging skills gaps and mismatches and the digital divide in the EU, enabling the workforce to take full advantage of the opportunities of the digital and green transition.

It will also give new impetus to the social goals of the Europe 2030 strategy, according to which at least 60% of all adults should be in training and at least 78% should be in the labor market.

The initiative, he continued, will also contribute to the so-called "Digital Compass 2030" targets according to which at least 80% of all adults must have basic digital skills, while at least 20 million IT specialists must be employed in the EU, with a satisfactory representation of women.

The European Commission will coordinate the activities of the European Year of Skills in synergy with national coordinators from each Member State and the relevant EU agencies, notably CEDEFOP, ENISA and ETF (European Training Foundation).

Isaris said that investment in training and skills upgrading, matching workers' skills with employers' needs, harmonizing workers' aspirations and skills will be promoted with employment opportunities and by attracting skilled people from outside the EU in order to promote the digital and green transition.

The Commission will develop, among other things, a European skills agenda, a record of all the skills that would be useful to each of us, to help people and businesses develop more and better skills and use them. So far, he said, more than 700 organizations have joined the skills pact, committing to upskilling up to 6 million people.

The Commission also proposed a new European strategy for universities to ensure that their curricula help develop high-quality and future-proof skills, and that their students become creative and critical thinkers, problem-solvers and active and responsible citizens.

To this end the European Digital Skills and Jobs Platform was set up with information and resources on digital skills and training and funding opportunities.

Significant funding and technical support is available to support Member States' investments in upskilling and reskilling, including the European Social Fund+ (ESF+), the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, the "Digital Europe "Horizon Europe" program and Erasmus.

The Commission calls on employers to invest in the skills of their employees and promote a learning mindset within their organisations, but also to support the recognition of non-formal and informal learning and to encourage their employees to acquire new skills throughout the during their careers.