Welcome to the press conference for the Cyprus International Education Fair "Education and Career 2023". To begin, let me underline that education is not only meant to create professionals, as the main objective is to form fully qualified young and well-rounded personalities. However, this objective is directly linked to the need for our schools and our universities to produce competent and well-trained professionals. This Education Fair therefore seeks to contribute to a very important, practical and high priority issue concerning the educational, professional and personal development of our young people. The Cyprus International Education Fair "Education and Career 2023" will be hosted at the premises of the Cyprus International Fair, at Pavilion 6, on 3-5 March 2023 and will be open at no cost to all interested parties. The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth is the co-organiser of the Cyprus International Education Fair for the eighth consecutive year. It is noted that the Exhibition is held in cooperation with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), the Cyprus Federation of Employers and Industrialists (CIO) and the European Office of Cyprus, whom I thank for their always excellent cooperation.
The efforts of the Ministry of Education and Culture focus on the professional future of our young people and the relationship that a professional career can have with education. Recognizing the need to develop a mechanism for the systematic collection of data on the professional and social pathways of Higher Education graduates in order to design appropriate policies, the Directorate of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, seeks to study in depth the mismatch between supply and demand in terms of knowledge, qualifications and skills required in Higher Education in relation to those demanded by the labour market. For this reason, in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, one of the reforms included by the Cypriot Ministry of Higher Education is the correlation of the curricula of Cyprus' Higher Education Institutions with the needs of the labour market.
The Cyprus International Education Fair "Education and Career" has now established itself as an important educational event, which aims to provide up-to-date information on Higher Education and to provide educational and career counselling to our prospective students. The aim of the Fair is to become a portal through which Higher Education Institutions, both in Cyprus and abroad, will provide prospective students with all the necessary information about the programmes of study they offer, so that those interested can make the best choices for their post-secondary education and their subsequent professional future. At the same time, the higher education institutions themselves will have the opportunity to promote their work, inform and attract prospective students. It should be noted that in recent years there have been leaps and bounds in the field of Higher Education in Cyprus. Institutions of Higher Education, both public and private, show a course of continuous development and improvement, in such a way that the state's goal of making Cyprus a regional and international centre of Higher Education seems to become feasible, as we now have 11 universities, a significant number of higher education schools and the presence of about 60,000 students in our country. It fills us with satisfaction to see that Cyprus is today an equivalent study destination to other countries in the EU or the world, which was not the case 10 or 20 years ago.
In addition, the Exhibition provides an opportunity to present products related to educational equipment, technology in education and technology in general, as well as other services related to young people and their interests.
In addition, the Exhibition provides an opportunity to present products related to educational equipment, technology in education and technology in general, as well as other services related to young people and their interests. During the "Education and Careers 2023" Education Fair, in addition to the advisory services provided on Higher Education and Careers issues, there will be an opportunity for employment agencies to showcase their range of activities on the very sensitive issue of graduate employment. Particular emphasis is also placed on vocational rehabilitation issues, which are very high on the priorities of the state, but also of the young people of Cyprus themselves.
Exhibitors from both Cyprus and abroad are participating in this year's Exhibition. More specifically, all Public and several Private Universities of Cyprus are participating, as well as a significant number of Private and Public Schools of Higher Education. At the Ministry's stand, the Public School of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education will participate and provide information on the curricula and vocational training opportunities offered by the Public School of Higher Education, namely the Post-secondary Institutes of Vocational Education and Training (MIEEK). In addition, organisations such as the Human Resources Development Authority, the Cyprus Youth Organisation, Research Centres and consultants in the field of studies and training will also participate. Furthermore, this year's Fair will involve Embassies, Universities and other Organizations of foreign countries that will provide information to visitors about opportunities for studying in foreign countries such as: United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Hungary, USA and others. In addition, the European network EURES, which will provide information on employment opportunities in Europe, is represented at this year's Fair with its own stand.
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth is participating in the Fair with its own stand.
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth is participating in the Fair with its own stand. Visitors will be able to obtain information there from the Ministry's services dealing with Higher Education and the provision of Educational/Vocational Counselling. Specifically, the following Directorates and Services of our Ministry will participate. [*]The Counselling and Vocational Education Service (CVE) of the Directorate of Secondary Education, which will provide Educational and Vocational Counselling to students, young people and other interested parties. [/LIST]
The pavilion of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth will also include both the Higher Education Quality Assurance and Accreditation Body (HQAA), whose main responsibility is the evaluation of Higher Education Institutions and the accreditation of the quality of their curricula, and the Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Qualifications (CRLC), which is the competent body for the recognition of qualifications. The Post-secondary Vocational Education and Training Programme, MIEEK, is also present. Moreover, after the inauguration and handover of the main building of the MIEEK School in Limassol, in the coming years we expect that we will have a continuous development of higher vocational education programmes through MIEEK, which is a necessity for our country.
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth considers that the organization of the Cyprus International Education Exhibition "Education and Career 2023" contributes significantly to the achievement of specific objectives of the Ministry, to provide appropriate Educational and Career Counselling that meets the current needs of both students of Secondary Education and graduates of Higher Education Institutions on issues related to vocational rehabilitation and training, as well as on issues related to the continuation of their academic studies. In this context, the Directorates of the Ministry have planned a series of visits by senior high school and technical school students from all the provinces of Cyprus during the first day of the Exhibition. A novelty of this year's event is that throughout the duration of the Fair there will be short presentations in specially designed rooms, during which visitors will have the opportunity to learn from exhibitors and education and career institutions about more specific topics, such as employment prospects for certain professions, etc.In conclusion, I would like to express my thanks to the co-organizers of the Exhibition (KEBE, OEB and the European Office of Cyprus) for their excellent cooperation and their active involvement in the implementation and continuous development of this institution. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Higher Education Directorate of the Ministry, which is responsible for the coordination of this co-organization, as well as to all the aforementioned Directorates, Services and bodies that have worked and will continue to work for this purpose. Special thanks to the Programme Development Service of the Pedagogical Institute, which was responsible for the organisation of the Ministry of Education's stand. Finally, I would like to thank all those who, through their presence and participation, strongly support this effort, which, I am sure, will be a success again this year.
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