OAED: In March, the invitations for the first two actions of 100 million euros

The planning of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs for the “new generation” training programs of OAED that will be financed by the Recovery Fund, is entering the implementation trajectory, as yesterday they were approved by the Board. of the Agency the first actions.

In March, calls for training and certification providers will be published for two skills upgrade programs for 80,000 unemployed people in high-demand specialties, with an emphasis on digital and “green” skills, which will lead to certification through independent certification bodies. The total budget of the actions is of the order of 100 million euros.

The main innovations that the new programs incorporate are the following:

1. Universities play a central role in training: For the first time, our unemployed fellow citizens gain access to training programs offered by universities and in particular the Training and Lifelong Learning Centers (KEDIVIM) of HEIs, as part of a special invitation to be addressed only in public universities. The universities will manage 50% of the total budget in this 1st phase.

2. There is a wide range of options in modern high-demand training subjects: Unlike programs that have been promoted to date, which were basically more “traditional” in nature, beneficiaries can choose from a variety of training programs in high-demand fields, with emphasis on digital and “green” skills.

3. The payment of providers and beneficiaries is linked to certification: In order to ensure that resources will “take place”, 30% of the amount to which providers and trainees are entitled will be paid only after certification. For the first time, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs introduces the methodology of payment by Results, with the aim of efficiency and optimal utilization of the funds of the Recovery Fund.

4. Emphasis is placed on certification by major international technology companies that provide – through third parties – recognized certifications for digital skills. The aim is to upgrade the quality and attractiveness of the programs.

5. The bar for training providers is rising, as stricter criteria are introduced for the participation of Lifelong Learning Centers (LLLs) in the program, including the acquisition of additional international ISO certifications.

6. Control of the educational material by an independent body: The quality of the educational material is ensured based on modern quality standards, which will be controlled by a specialized independent body.

7. Selection of a certification body by the trainees themselves and not by the training providers, so that the beneficiaries can choose the certificate they want.

8. Finally, another innovation is that the program register and the participation of the unemployed will remain “open”, until the budget is exhausted. In other words, the beneficiaries will be able to join the program at any time and choose from a wide range of training programs that will be continuously enriched.

The new programs signal the upgrading of the continuing vocational training of the unemployed, with targeted interventions throughout the process and the bodies involved (training providers, certification providers, trainees, etc.). This ensures at the same time:

· A wide range of training programs (including programs of large IT companies with high demand in the labor market) with quality assurance of their content.

· Free choice by the unemployed of the training program, the time he / she will choose, the training provider and the certification provider.

· Quality upgrade of the training providers with the increase of the prerequisites for the private KDBM and the participation of the KEDIVIM of the HEIs.

“Today begins the new era of vocational training in Greece,” he said Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis He added: “The programs approved by OAED reflect the new philosophy of the Ministry of Labor for training, which will specialize in the bill on training, skills and the new role of OAED, which will soon be put to public consultation.

What we are seeking is based on the lessons and mistakes of several decades and is very clear: Quality upgrade of training, with increased requirements for private providers, but also the possibility for trainees to pass through the gates of universities. Evaluation and certification, not formal but substantial, of both training providers and trainees to give training the dimension it needs. Make sure that the money that will go to the training takes place. “Our goal is for education to cease to be a mere” paper “and to become a real tool not only to reintegrate the unemployed into the labor market, but also to claim satisfactory wages, having acquired skills that meet the modern needs of the economy.”

For his part OAED commander, Spyros Protopsaltissaid: “In a labor market that is constantly changing at a rapid pace, skills upgrades are more necessary than ever and are an important active employment policy. Training on the one hand provides essential skills that are in line with the needs of the labor market and facilitate the reintegration of the unemployed and the professional development of employees and on the other hand promotes the optimal use of resources through the evaluation and upgrading of training providers and certification of trainees.

Utilizing the valuable experience gained from the successful implementation of innovative pilot projects in collaboration with digital giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Cisco, OAED launches a new era in training with actions aimed at enhancing skills 500,000 unemployed and employed in the coming years, with total resources of 1 billion euros from the Recovery Fund “.