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Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very pleased to participate in the 14th "Nicosia Economic Congress", which aims to outline the Cyprus economy and analyse its prospects. Allow me to thank IMH for the kind invitation and the opportunity to present the policies of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth to promote the development of appropriate skills through education and based on the needs of the Cypriot labour market.
The ever-changing trends in the international labour market do not leave Cyprus unaffected, touching our education system as well. It is time to face reality: education is not marginally linked to the labour market, but it is the basis on which we need to invest for a healthy economy. The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, listening to the conditions of our times, has made it a priority to link our education system with the needs and demands of the labour market. Our aim is to strengthen and empower our students with all the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to cope with future challenges, especially in their professional life.
In this context, the Ministry envisages an educational system through which citizens will be formed with skills that will enable them to face the challenges of the future and contribute creatively to the development of society, just as it is documented in the Proposition.
In this context, the Ministry envisages an educational system through which citizens will be formed with skills that will enable them to face the challenges of the future and contribute creatively to the development of society, just as it is documented in the Proposition.
In this context, the Ministry envisages an educational system through which citizens will be formed with skills that will enable them to face the challenges of the future and contribute creatively to the development of society, just as it is documented in the Proposition. In particular, the process of modernising and updating the curricula for all subjects taught in all grades of primary and secondary education has been underway since last September. One of the main pillars of this process is the horizontal promotion of the eight key modern competences, as defined by the Council of Europe, which mainly concern the development of language, mathematical, digital, metacognitive, personal and entrepreneurial skills, which both young people and adults are recommended to acquire.
With the implementation of the updated Curricula from the next school year, our ultimate goal is the gradual creation of a modern, human-centred, inclusive school, which will promote the competences, knowledge and skills of each child and which will keep pace with the needs of the times. We want our pupils to be literate and to have developed the competences that are fundamental, such as critical thinking, creativity and innovation, competences that will enable them to be active citizens, capable and able to respond to modern challenges and to adapt more easily to the rapidly changing environment.
In addition, we are upgrading Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Post-secondary Vocational Education and Training Institutes by implementing, for the first time, a total of 32 programmes, of which seven are new programmes, and linking them to the labour market. The aim for the next school year is to further increase and improve the quality of the programmes at the Technical Schools, by strengthening the linkage of the education provided with the labour market and increasing the number of student places.
In addition, it has been officially announced to start a dialogue to upgrade Higher Education, through further internationalisation, modernisation and linkage with the labour market, as well as by increasing the number of scholarships provided.
In addition, it has been officially announced to start a dialogue to upgrade Higher Education, through further internationalisation, modernisation and linkage with the labour market, as well as by increasing the number of scholarships provided. Our aim is to complete the dialogue soon and the legislative regulation for further upgrading, improving the quality and internationalisation of Higher Education.
At this point it is important to mention that the Counselling and Vocational Education Service of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth has developed in recent months a close cooperation with the Cyprus Productivity Centre, co-organising actions in the framework of a specific project.
At this point it is important to mention that the Counselling and Vocational Education Service of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth has developed in recent months a close cooperation with the Cyprus Productivity Centre, co-organising actions in the framework of a specific project. These actions aim to strengthen Vocational Education in schools and to inform students and their parents about the current conditions and needs of the labour market. This information will start in primary schools.
In addition, given the discrepancy recorded in many countries of the European Union between the supply of skills from the education system and the demand for skills from the labour market, the Ministry, through the Directorate of Higher Education, is implementing the project "Development of a National Graduate Monitoring Mechanism and Design and Implementation of a National Employer Survey", within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Cyprus.
It is generally accepted that skills mismatches can result in reduced employability prospects for workers, reduced job satisfaction, reduced wages, increased stress and a negative impact on their health and general well-being. They can also have a negative impact on businesses and contribute to low productivity. By extension, skills mismatches can lead to increased rates of structural unemployment and have a serious impact on national economies.
Addressing skills mismatches is a challenge at both national and European level. Recognising this need, the above-mentioned Recovery and Resilience Plan project aims to provide longitudinal data on the entry of higher education graduates into the labour market and their learning experiences, as well as on the link between the curricula offered by higher education institutions and the labour market. At the same time, the participation of Cyprus in the European Graduate Follow-up Survey "Eurograduate" is funded, in order to collect comparable data between European countries, while, within the framework of the project, the National Employer Survey is carried out to collect data on the labour market needs in terms of skills and qualifications. It is noted that the first cycle of the National Graduate Follow-up Survey has been completed. Indicatively, the survey showed that 46% of graduates are employed in jobs that do not correspond to the level of their qualifications and 20% in jobs that do not correspond to their field of study.
In addition, the Ministry coordinates, through the Office of European and International Affairs, Lifelong Learning and Adult Education, the implementation of the National Strategy for Lifelong Learning 2021-2027. The main priority of this National Strategy is to reduce youth unemployment, upgrade skills and re-skill young people and the workforce, through the provision of learning opportunities that reflect labour market needs and take into account the digital and green transition.
Emphasis is placed on people at risk of unemployment, as well as on upgrading skills and re-skilling the workforce at national level.
Emphasis is placed on people at risk of unemployment, as well as on upgrading skills and re-skilling the workforce at national level.
Emphasis is placed on people at risk of unemployment, as well as on upgrading skills and re-skilling the workforce at national level. At the same time, the National Strategy promotes the systematic analysis of labour market needs and skills projections, leading to the design of programmes through which graduates will be effectively prepared for the future. The projections should be consistent with the provision of education, requiring adjustments to the curricula based on the expected skills and competences of graduates.
With regard to the promotion of entrepreneurship skills, it should be noted that there is a cross-cutting committee within the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth. In addition, through the Pedagogical Institute, programmes and training actions for entrepreneurship in education are promoted, in accordance with the European Union's policy on the new strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training, as well as Cyprus' action plan for the promotion of the seventeen sustainable development goals.
The promotion of programmes and actions for entrepreneurship in education aims to foster an entrepreneurial culture and the integration of entrepreneurship in education. Its support is considered vital for the development of young people and for development, as recommended by the Council of Europe. Entrepreneurship education contributes to the development of the student and the transformation of the school into a modern learning community.
Furthermore, the introduction of entrepreneurship education as a cross-curricular and interdisciplinary offered skill in Cypriot education, which can be horizontally integrated in the curriculum of each subject/subject, is a challenge in itself, as it is part of the culture change. Thus, the Pedagogical Institute, following the current scientific trends and research, offers a variety of training activities, so that each teacher can choose and participate, as he/she is called upon to prepare and support the new generation to meet the needs of the times. These training activities can be summarised as follows:
[A) TRAINING ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN EDUCATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE EDUCATION STAFF TRAINING PROGRAMME,
Training of teachers at all levels, through school-based seminars as well as optional seminars for deepening knowledge and entrepreneurial educational action,
(c) Training/information meetings in school units during the Primary and Secondary Education Teacher's Day.
(d) Seminars "Skills Clubs - Youth Skills for the 21st Century", for secondary school teachers,
(e) "Ideodrome" programme for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurial Idea, addressed to teachers and students of secondary schools, high schools and technical schools. Through the Programme, teachers are empowered to provide their students with the opportunity to develop their innovative social and environmental entrepreneurship ideas and to get in touch with new professions and the business world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
An important place in the reform of our education system to meet modern requirements is occupied by the digital transformation of schools and the strengthening of the digital skills of our students. Under the People and State Pillars of the Governance Programme, we are promoting the acceleration of digital transformation in school units, strengthening the integration of new, modern technologies, upgrading digital education and providing digital skills certification, as well as providing specialised training programmes to develop basic digital skills for all population groups.
Through funding from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, we aim to strengthen digital skills and skills related to STEM education, to subsidize the purchase of computers in primary and secondary education, to create digital classrooms in all schools and to train teachers, who are the key component for the digital transformation of education. The aim of these reforms is to have digitally competent schools, digitally competent and capable teachers and, most importantly, digitally competent students.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the importance of education and its content, as well as the processes of teaching and learning, in achieving the goal of a healthy society and economy. We are working systematically in this direction and your contribution is very important. Because in order to achieve the above, a collective effort is required so that our young people, leaving the education system behind and entering the world of work, have all the skills that will enable them to adapt quickly to the changing conditions and needs of the labour market and society in general.
Thank you for your attention
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