It was November 2019 when the administration of the then OAED entered into a cooperation agreement with Hellenic Aviation Industry SA. (EAB SA) to work as an Aircraft Mechanic at the Organization’s Professional Apprenticeship School in Chalkis. Almost two and a half years have passed since then, and already the first 16 graduates of the school have moved on to the second stage of the process of recruiting permanent staff from the RRO. Of course, with a good command of a foreign language, especially English, they can work in any private airline, as this is a sought-after profile specialty that leads to a well-paid profession.

This particular “success story” of 16 graduates of the Public Employment Service apprenticeship school, now renamed OAED, is expected to repeat as enrollment increased by 28 students in the 2021-2022 academic year, even from other countries. cities that have chosen a particular specialty.

However, it will remain a limited example of DYPA-ODA cooperation unless it becomes a central axis for both public employment services and domestic businesses.

As Spyros Protopsaltis, commander of DYPA, explains in an interview with K, the creation of new advanced specialties that meet the real needs of the country’s local economies is a priority for the Ministry of Labor and especially the employment service. For this reason, DYPA, with actions such as the renewal of curricula, the active participation of business in this process, the modernization of laboratory equipment of vocational schools, the “green” renovation of buildings and the necessary continuous training of its teachers and instructors, modernizes and strengthens its existing vocational schools, to offer quality education and training.

About two and a half years ago, in November 2019, DYPA entered into a cooperation agreement with ODA. Prior to the agreement, a two-body working group of experienced leaders was established to study the needs of the ODA for specialized personnel and then submit proposals accordingly to the administrations that agreed to work in the Aeromechanics specialty at EPAS DYPA Apprenticeship in Copper.

This specialty operated in the 2020-2021 academic year, in which 16 young people studied and graduated in June 2022. During the training, students attended theoretical and laboratory classes in classrooms and underwent paid practice at the ODA. Also, at the initiative of the school teachers, they participated in the Erasmus+ program by going to Madrid, Spain. There, in collaboration with the Rey Juan Carlos University, in 20 days they gained valuable experience, valuable skills and know-how from the technicians of the Spanish state aviation industry Iberia, working with them on aircraft engine tasks.

The first graduates of the School of Aircraft Mechanics are expected to be recruited by EAB.

16 first-year aeromechanics students with a degree have applied for EAB’s announcement of recruitment for a specialized permanent staff, have completed two rounds and are awaiting final approval of their recruitment. Of course, graduates of the above specialty can work in all private airlines with an English diploma, as this is a profile specialty that is in great demand, which allows you to get a well-paid profession, especially when their five years of professional experience is exhausted. ends with the receipt of the aircraft control signature.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, enrollment increased by 28 students, even from other cities who chose this specialty.

“The agreement with the ODA and the success of the Aircraft Mechanics specialty illustrate the many opportunities for partnership and collaboration between DYPA and local authorities and businesses,” said Protopsaltis. We add that these agreements can lead to the formation of specialties demanded by local communities and the filling of new and well-paid jobs. “These initiatives are necessary so that young people can acquire skills and study in professions that give professions with a future,” the governor states.

It should be noted that the Public Employment Service has 51 Vocational Training Schools, 31 Vocational Training Institutes (VET) and 7 Pilot EPAS (PEPAS) throughout Greece, which offer free education and training in many different professions. Registration for the next academic semester 2022-2023 has begun and the recruitment process for temporary teaching staff on a fixed-term contract has already been completed.

What departments will work?

In the 2022-2023 academic year, the following will work:

• 51 Vocational Schools (VTS) with 31 in-demand specialties, implementing an apprenticeship system, which is the only dual system in the country that combines theoretical and laboratory vocational training at the school with internships in enterprises in real working conditions (on-vocational training).

• 7 pilot EPAS internships with 3 specializations in tourism and hospitality, where innovative vocational training programs are implemented in seven cities: Athens, Heraklion, Rhodes, Mytilini, Patras, Thessaloniki and Corfu. For the work of PEPAS, DYPA cooperates with the Hellenic German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Institute of the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (INSETE), which have extensive experience in the field of vocational education and tourism.