Σύντομες Ειδήσεις

Introduction

 For a small and open economy with limited natural resources, like the Cyprus economy, its human capital constitutes the most important factor of production, the development of which is a top priority.

 Achievements in Education and Training

The level of education of the Cypriot population has been drastically rising in the last decades. At the same time, the proportion of population with no education is shrinking. The net participation rate for young persons of 12-17 years old is estimated at a level above 90%. In 1998/1999 around 75% of the upper secondary education students chose courses of the general direction in public schools, 10% was registered in private schools and the remaining 15% was attending courses of the technical vocational direction. During the academic year 1999/2000, 69% of the secondary education graduates continued their studies in tertiary education establishments. The reform of upper secondary education, which will render the educational system more responsive to the needs of the labour market and to a knowledge-based society, has been fully implemented in the upper secondary general education and an evaluation is under way. The reform of the technical/vocational upper secondary education is entering its final stage of implementation and is under closed monitoring. Progress in implementing planned measures to strengthen Cyprus´ capacity for tertiary education is satisfactory.

The Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA) is the main promoter for the initial out of school and continuing vocational training, offering a wide range of training schemes that cover all possible aspects of training, in all sectors of the economy and at all levels. The number of persons who receive training under the guidance and financing of the HRDA has been increasing throughout the years approaching 11% of the gainfully employed population (≈34.000 during 2003). Moreover, it is estimated that approximately 17.000 persons participate in programmes that are organised by the Education Centres for Adults. The evaluation of the special characteristics of the labour market and the training sector in Cyprus as well as the examination of challenges created by the accession of Cyprus to the EU, reveal that an essential and remarkable progress has been achieved in the field of training, within the last years. The progress achieved concerns the increased awareness, by the enterprises and the employees, of the significance of training and life-long learning

Challenges

•  A proper analysis of the educational and training systems as well as the labour market, ensures a concrete definition of the policy priorities for the next years. In particular, there is need to: 
   Activate and integrate in training and employment the groups that are currently not in the labour force. Planned new measures aim at addressing the specific training needs of new secondary school graduates, the needs of selected groups of unemployed, the training needs of women outside the labour market and increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the micro-enterprises

• Enhance the flexibility, the quality, the range and responsiveness of the system of technical-vocational education and training. In particular, the training system must support in any of its forms (formal-unofficial, initial-continuing, private-public) the employability and the adaptability of human resources, thus facilitating the structural changes that are already taking place in the labour market and contributing to the competitiveness of the Cypriot economy.

DGVT Contribution

The main strategic objective of the Single Programming Document for Objective 3 “Human Resources” of Cyprus is the development and the full utilization of human resources in conditions of social cohesion and equal opportunities. This strategic objective coincides with specific objectives and targets of the National Development Plan 2004-2006 in the field of human capital development. The attainment of the strategic objective specializes in the following two interUsefuland complementary general targets:

• Promotion of employment, aiming at the promotion of employment and vocational education and training, mainly through active labour market measures in conditions of social cohesion and equal opportunities and
• Qualitative upgrading of human capital, aiming at the improvement of quality of the education and training provided, mainly through the introduction of new technologies and through a closer link with the needs of the labour market