IVET in Greece: a passport for lifelong learning and employability

In December 2020 the Greek Government introduced with the law 4763/2020 a new legal framework regulating VET and LLL and establishing the National system of VET at EQF levels 3, 4 and 5. The main objectives of the new legal framework include the provision of knowledge, skills and competences in accordance with the needs of the labour market, the strengthening of permeability among education levels and the improvement of employability for all. In the aforementioned context, VET reform goes hand in hand with Osnabruck objectives for resilience and excellence through qualitative, inclusive and flexible VET.

For the endorsement of vocational excellence and innovation, new thematic and pilot Institutes of Vocational Training (IEK) operate as of the school year 2021-2022. More precisely, five (5) pilot IEK are established with the objective to support the design and the development of innovations in the initial vocational education and training system. In addition to these, the 5 new thematic IEK -also established to operate in the present school year- cover the fields of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Health, Social Welfare and Wellness Services, Natural Environment, Sports and Leisure, Product Processing and Sustainable Development. The thematic IEK aim to contribute to the development of specific economic sectors and deliver an innovative educational experience applying good work-based learning practices, contemporary teaching methods and modern curricula.

According to the Minister of Education, Niki Kerameos, government intends to provide high quality VET which cultivates the updated knowledge and skills needed in developing economic sectors and modern professions. With the aim to provide VET courses and learning opportunities that enhance the inclinations of young students and widen their opportunities to enter the labour market, Ministry of Education establishes the paid internship programme for IEK students. Although the internship programme for IEK has a longstanding tradition, the paid internship aims to enhance IEK attractiveness and improve the employment conditions of IEK graduates. During the internship, the intern will receive compensation equal to 80% of the legal, statutory wage limit of the unskilled worker.

Lastly, in order to increase the horizontal permeability to IVET, Ministry of Education introduced as of the school year 2021-2022 the right to completion of a digital parallel form of study in IEK (parallilo michanografiko deltio) for holders of a level 4(NQF) qualification degree. The total number of candidates seeking a study place in a public IEK was 22,790, while the total number of the candidates gained entrance in IEK were 8,594. The high demand made it clear that more places were needed, as a result the Ministry announced 20,000 more places to be covered. The public IEK study places cover different subject domains in Health, Hospitality, Business, and Engineering with a high demand in the labour market. These public IEK are administered under the auspices of the relevant Ministries: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Employment and Ministry of Tourism.