By decision of the education minister, a pilot, run in six upper secondary vocational schools (Epaggelmatika Lykeia, EPALs) in different regions of the country, introduces innovative methods and aims to transform them, in the medium term, into centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs).
Following the launch of the new VET governance system and the implementation of the reform law 4763/2020, the Ministerial Decision – issued in May 2021 – sets out the education aims of the pilot operation of these EPAL schools. The pilot phase started in September 2021 and will last three years. For the school year 2021/22, the first grade will operate in the existing facilities of the participating schools.
A series of systematic reforms is being implemented in these schools, such as modified curricula that address labour market needs for skills and competences, new teaching methodologies, and new criteria assuring the quality of resources and procedures.
The programmes of the pilot EPALs include general education courses, vocational guidance courses, specialisation courses, and internships. Internships will be implemented in the second and third years of the programme, one day per week for six hours, and will be part of the laboratory curriculum of each programme. The increased freedom in the education process, the new teaching methods, and the training for in-service teachers of all specialisations in the pilot EPALs, along with continuous monitoring, evaluation and feedback, are expected to contribute towards strengthening and upgrading VET in Greece. The implementation of this pilot is supported by significant funding from EU resources.
The Minister for Education, Niki Kerameos highlights the importance of improving EPAL schools: ‘Our intention is to provide solid vocational education and training, aiming to cultivate basic professional knowledge and skills for all economic sectors and professions. Our strategy for a comprehensive redefinition and upgrading of VET has been a key pillar of our policy for almost two years now. In this context, we have introduced initiatives such as the enactment of law 4763/2020, the strengthening of public post-secondary vocational institutes (IEKs), as well as the establishment for the first time of pilot EPALs. We continue dynamically, offering our young learners alternative choices that meet the modern challenges of our society and integrate their aspirations, inclinations and desires.’
Read more
New upper secondary VET programmes (2021)
| Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Greece; Cedefop (2021). Greece: innovation in upper secondary VET programmes. National news on VET |