Cyprus: Hack for skills –a skills challenge competition

Objective

The overall objective was to provide 40 young people coming from Malta and from Cyprus, the opportunity to participate in a competition and present their proposals for an optimal provision of VET, addressing present and future labour market challenges. Emphasis was put on current skills, anticipating future skill requirements, and addressing potential skills mismatches.

The procedure of the New skills for jobs in the making – Hack for skills!

 The procedure included the following phases:

• Phase 1 was held simultaneously in Cyprus and Malta on 17 and 18 November 2023. Four teams of five individuals from each of the two participating countries joined the event online, with the objective to develop ideas to address the task that they were assigned to carry out. Each team received advice and guidance from a mentor on how to develop their proposals further. Their proposed solution, take also the strategies and goals of the European Union (EU) into consideration, including the European Green Deal and the goals of the European Pillar of Social Rights related to employment, participation in lifelong learning and poverty.
• Phase 2: (closing phase) took place at Paola, Malta on 24 November 2023. During this phase, the teams presented their proposals, and the evaluation committee assessed them and ‘rewarded’ the best three proposals.

Following the presentations, a round-table discussion took place between VET experts from Cyprus and Malta, focusing on future skills in the EU, best practices, and the identification of potential projects and strategies for the future.

Organisers

The initiative was organised by the Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes (FMELLP), the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus (HRDA) and the Union of Municipalities of Cyprus in cooperation with the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), the Western Regional Council, and the National Skills Council (NSC). The Cypriot Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) collaborated with the FMELLP to organise this hackathon for skills.

Read more

• Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes (FMELLP)-information webpage for the Hack for skills
• Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST)-Information webpage on the Hack for Skills initiative
• Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST)-The competition teams and the awards ceremony