Greening apprenticeships: Greece

This article is part of a series developed by Cedefop community of apprenticeship experts. It was drafted by Olga Kafetzopoulou, Community expert for Greece, and was revised by Cedefop staff.

In Greece, skills for the green transition will be developed as part of the overall update of apprenticeship curricula (2024). 

The update refers to the Post-secondary year – apprenticeship class, which is the apprenticeship scheme offered at EQF level 5 as an option for upper-secondary graduates. Under this project, the training guides (which include curricula, alongside requirements to enter the profession, teaching methods, the certification process etc.) of each apprenticeship programme will be updated to include elements related to the green transition. 

The update is based on a model developed by the General Secretariat for VET and Lifelong learning (under the Ministry of Education), according to which all apprenticeship training guides should include a module on green skills. 
The module usually consists of two parts:  
Part 1 promotes knowledge and understanding of environmental values and familiarises apprentices with a sustainable culture.
Part 2 includes the skills that future qualified workers of each occupation will need in a market that values sustainable economy. For instance, the curriculum for apprenticeships in the energy sector should include waste production, pollution of air, soil and water, resource depletion, energy efficiency, waste treatment, sustainable energy technologies, etc.

Social partners will be significantly involved in the update of training guides, in line with the provisions of the 2020 VET Law.

The updated training guides will be formally issued by the Ministry of Education.

Updated curricula will be complemented by corresponding training material, certification questions and a methodology on future updates. Apprenticeship teachers and in-company trainers will also be trained so that they are in a better position to help apprentices develop environment-friendly skills.

The input of social partners will also help determine the need and opportunity to expand apprenticeships to new specialties, including ones possibly related with the green transition.

The design and development of the training guides is funded by the European Social Fund.