Page 35 - COMPASS - COMPETITIVENESS REPORT 2022 - COUNCIL OF COMPETITIVENESS IN GREECE

“COMPASS” REPORT 2022 – COUNCIL ON COMPETITIVENESS OF GREECE 33

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Employment counselling at the Greek Public Employ- The Greek public enjoys access to an extensive system of second-
ment Service (DYPA; formerly OAED) was enhanced with
ary and tertiary education, which scores highly on Pupil-Teach-
a doubling of the number of career counsellors and
er ratio. Yet despite this, the country’s PISA (Programme for
the implementation of a specified training programme
International Student Assessment) score is below the EU average,
– introduction of a new assessment system using key
indicating that the education provided is rather theoretical, as
performance indicators to comprehensively evaluate the
effectiveness of actions. students demonstrate a limited ability to apply what they have
learned to tackle real-life challenges. Furthermore, while Greece
• The Skills4Jobs initiative was launched by the Hellen-
has a comparatively high number of university graduates, there
ic Federation of Enterprises – SEV and its Institute of
is a lack of education and training in skills and competencies that
Industrial and Business Education and Training (IVEPE-
are crucial in today’s job market and relevant to current trends
SEV), aiming, through a series of integrated actions,
(e.g. working and collaborating virtually, the ability to develop an
to equip the country’s workforce with the knowledge
and skills sought by modern, efficient and extroverted entrepreneurial mindset and go beyond merely performing tasks,
companies (e.g. technical and soft skills, counselling, digital communication and marketing) as well as in technical
mentoring). skills required in the secondary sector.

• A new system was established to assess the perfor-
This is further exacerbated by insufficient social recognition of
mance of counsellors, using key performance indica-
non-formal education and lacking and outdated certification.
tors to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of
Links between universities and the labour market are also limited.
actions.
There is room for improvement in developing and utilising
• Apprenticeship programmes were overhauled and internships, a practice that can put students in direct contact
workshops modernised in accordance with employer with modern businesses, allowing them to develop relevant skills
needs, and more training staff was added. and acquire work experience, while also serving as an additional
channel of communication between universities and the labour
• The new labour law introduced improvements to employ-
market. Brain drain remains an issue for Greece, albeit the trend
ment conditions (flexicurity) and reduced the burden of tax-
indicates the situation could be changing, partly as a result of
ation by establishing the Hellenic Auxiliary Pensions Defined
the growth of innovative businesses in the country and also due
Contributions Fund (TEKA), which can be voluntarily joined
to the influx of investments from multinational heavyweights.
by persons up to 35 years of age.
Greece continues to score low on vocational training. Public
organisations have implemented relevant measures/programmes
to disseminate digital skills and provide counselling services to
help match jobseekers with suitable employment, and efforts are
ongoing to improve their effectiveness.