Despite all the challenges that the shipping sector has to face, due to the pandemic, but also the various war crises, remains consistently one of the biggest contributors to the Cypriot economy and undoubtedly one of the biggest employers, said the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Prodromos Prodromou, in his address at today's Award Ceremony for the Competition "The Comparative Advantages of Cyprus Shipping in relation to Competition - We Sail the Flag".
"Our ambition is to open the horizons of the sea and professional studies and opportunities for our young people. It is a happy coincidence that now, thanks to the right initiative of this government, our country has a Deputy Ministry of Shipping that is methodically opening up the prospects of the Blue Economy for Cyprus in a better way", he noted.
Mr Prodromou congratulated all the children and teachers who participated in this competition.
"It is no coincidence that the competition was addressed to the children of high schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools of Limassol, since Limassol is one of the largest ship management centres in the world. More than 100 ship management companies operate there, as well as a multitude of companies from the wider maritime sector. Today, about 9,000 workers are employed in the shipping industry, the majority of whom are from Cyprus," he added.
He said that the development of the Blue Economy is one of the priorities of the European Commission precisely because it offers the possibility of creating new jobs, providing an avenue for economic recovery.
"The knowledge and skills of the human resources employed in the sectors covered by the Blue Economy are one of the driving forces of the economies of the countries with access to the sea. When for the whole of Europe the Blue Economy is emerging as one of the most promising horizons, think how much more so for an island country like ours. When countries that are only on one side or even one corner of the sea and they are making so many efforts to open up to the sea and tap into the maritime economy, think how much more this applies to an island country like Cyprus, especially in the historical epicentre of seafaring which is the Mediterranean," he noted.
As Prodromou said, Cyprus can become a model in this area, since there is no doubt that the sea is an important source of wealth that is inextricably linked to the history of our island.
"For this reason, concerted efforts are being made in this direction and initiatives are being undertaken that favour the development of skills and the creation of jobs linked to Blue Careers", he noted.
The Minister of Education underlined how important, of strategic importance, was the decision of this administration, under the Presidency of Nicos Anastasiades, to create the Deputy Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
"On the occasion of his presence here with us, I would like once again to thank my colleague, Deputy Minister of Shipping Vassilis Demetriades, for our cooperation, but also to underline that within a relatively short period of time we have seen great and important results from the operation of a Deputy Ministry of Shipping, which has put on a new basis, in a more structured and methodical effort, our policy for the sea, shipping, the Blue Economy," he said.
Mr. Prodromou also said that one of the objectives of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, and more specifically the Directorate of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training, is to contribute substantially in this direction by offering maritime-related curricula, both at the level of secondary education, by offering the Branch of Maritime Professions at the A' Technical School of Limassol, and at the level of higher vocational education and training, by offering the programme "Supply Chain Management and Maritime Studies" at the Public School of Maritime Studies in Limassol.
"It is worth noting that, in the context of this effort, close cooperation has been developed with the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, particularly with regard to the development of the relevant curricula. On this occasion, I cannot fail to underline the importance of the curriculum which gives you the opportunity to open up professionally in the promising field of the sea," he added.
Addressing the children, Mr. Prodromou said that this competition can be a trigger for them to move on to studies related to the maritime sector.
He noted that the "Supply Chain Management and Maritime Studies" programme of the MIEK Public School offers them the opportunity to study for two years free of charge in their city.
As he said, shipping is an industry that is distinguished for its professionalism, its continuous development, the good and interesting professional climate, as well as the high salaries it offers.
"It is an industry that we can all feel proud of for our Cyprus since, despite the global competition, it manages to make our flag fly in all the seas of the world. This great journey of our flag in the seas of the world is what the competition "We sail the flag", i.e. "We sail with our flag" or "We set sail with our flag" sought to introduce these children to this great journey of our flag in the seas of the world. Together with the flag of Cypriot shipping, we seek to open the horizons of the sea for our young people," he added.
The Education Minister congratulated the children who excelled in the competition and said that "there is no doubt that with your successes you honour your family and your school, but above all you honour yourselves."
"Continue the journey of learning so that you can keep improving and be able to achieve your goals," he concluded.
Source: CNA
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