A major new intervention in the vocational education environment is being launched by the Ministry of Education, with Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and the responsible Deputy Minister Ioanna Lytrivi presenting the relevant bill to today’s cabinet. Thus, after the 22 “Onassis” model schools, for which signatures were signed last Monday at the Maximou Mansion, the “Academies” are being launched, which will operate as specialized vocational schools aimed at producing executives and employees of private companies around Greece.

As it stands so far, vocational education at the tertiary level is limited to the so-called SEEKs (Schools of Higher Vocational Training) that are the successor to the public IEKs. Unlike the SAEKs, which are exclusively public, the new “Academies” of vocational training being launched by the Ministry of Education around Greece will be able to be set up by bodies such as local Chambers of Commerce in collaboration with local businesses.

About two months ago, Mr Pierrakakis gave a taste of the ministry’s intentions when he visited the Kilkis Industrial Area, which is home to several businesses looking for staff with specific skills. “We are working together to establish a specialized Vocational Education & Training School in Kilkis targeting industrial professions, i.e. items that local businesses are looking for workers offering high wages,” K. Pierrakakis in a post after a meeting he had with local stakeholders.

Permits and titles

The Ministry of Education’s goal is, if there are mature projects, to kick off the new “Academies” even from the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year and progressively multiply them. As regards the establishment process, they will be located on the premises of the licensed company, while each “Academy” will be able to offer training in one or more specialties, meeting sthe pecific needs of the market concerned.

They can be used for one or more of the following types of activity, based on specific needs.

Returning to the example of Kilkis, the aim is for the school there to focus on mechatronics, a highly specialised and highly demanded sector in the labour market. Thus, the trainees will acquire specialization that will ensure their immediate absorption in the local labor market. Another sector of interest is that of winemaking and there appears to be reportedly interest from wine-producing regions for schools tailored to the needs of the sector.

Titles

As State Minister of Education Ms. Lytrivi explains to “THEMA”, the title that anyone attending such a school will acquire will be a category 5 title, i.e. the same as the corresponding titles of the public SAEKs. Of course, in the case of the “Academies” there will be an obligation for the companies to provide internships to the students, as in the case of the SAEKs the completion of an internship is a prerequisite for the completion of the curriculum and it is not always an easy exercise. It should be noted that the Ministry of Education is also working on corrections in the context of the SAEK internships. The new “Academies” will have no tuition fees, along the lines of the SAEKs, which are also free.

As for the process to be followed, interested institutions or companies will submit an application to the General Secretariat for Vocational Education and Training of the Ministry of Education and it will be evaluated. The licence will be granted if the company provides the necessary facilities, often including workshops, and of course, if it provides training guides and manuals appropriate to the subject matter it offers.

The teaching staff

According to the same information, the “Academies” will be staffed by public sector teachers or private instructors, who will be recruited and paid by the Ministry of Education. The “pool” from which the instructors will be drawn will be the same as that of the SAEKs, namely the so-called Register of Instructors. It remains to be seen whether the companies that want to operate the “Academies” will be able, as an incentive, to offer additional remuneration beyond that set by the State.

As noted by the leadership of the Ministry of Education, however, the goal is to create another “island” to attract students to vocational education, which also offers much better opportunities for rehabilitation. In this regard, the more direct link with the labour market also guarantees greater commitment from businesses, many of which are looking for qualified personnel and, if they cannot find them in other circumstances on the market, they will be able to form them themselves.

It should also be noted that the qualification that those who attend the new “Academies” will receive is nothing like a certificate of attendance at a seminar or a cycle of further training, such as those offered by DYPA, but is a qualification with academic certification and professional rights deriving from it.

Although it is taken for granted that there will be opposition and counter-arguments during the public consultation process of the bill to be approved by the Cabinet, Pierrakakis asserts that he will move forward with an initiative that seems socially mature.