Being a partner in the recently approved EAPPREN, Capacity Building for Intermediary Organisations through the e-learning European programme, the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in the 2-day kick-off meeting of the project that was held in Athens on December 1 and 2.
Τhe scheme is part of the Erasmus+ KA3 funding programmes of the European Union and will run for two years, from October 2016 to October 2018. The basic objective of the programme is to consolidate a connection between secondary school-level vocational training and professional on-the-job training through VET (Vocational Education Training). In this project, Chambers are called upon to be the natural bridge between secondary school-based technical education and enterprises.
EAPPREN, and other similar projects, are seen as priorities for the European Union and constitute needed reform measures for Eastern and Southern European countries which have to move from the current regime of a school-based vocational training to training conducted at the level of enterprises.
Representing the Limassol Chamber in the Athens kick-off meeting was senior officer Nikolas Iordanou, who made two presentations. In one of his presentations he talked about the history, the role and the fundamental objectives of the Chamber and its contribution to the economic development of Limassol. His second presentation focused on the findings of research conducted by the Chamber on three case studies of best practices of on-the-job training.
The EAPPREN Project brings together partners from eight European countries as follows:
- Latvia – the Latvia Chamber of Commerce
- Belgium – the European Forum on Vocational Education & Training (EFVET)
- Bulgaria – the Dobrich Chamber of Commerce
- Spain - Fundacion University of Granada
- Poland – the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin
- Slovenia – the Slovenia Chamber of Commerce
- Cyprus – the Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Eurosuccess
- Greece - Action Synergy and the Federation of Industrialist of Peloponnese and Western Greece
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The EAPPREN project, with a total budget of €597,020, provides for the active participation of 200 companies in programmes of on the-the-job training, in addition to another 675 which will be recipients of information and will have the option to attend relevant seminars and presentations. All companies that will participate are from the eight countries listed above.
Under the project an e–learning platform will be set up, which will be the education tool for on-the-job training, and can be utilized by companies that could possibly choose to employ apprentices. The Limassol Chamber will have a supporting role in the whole effort, providing informational services to companies, in addition to access to relevant government departments.
In the meantime, the Limassol Chamber will continue pursuing new programmes and new venues that could open new possibilities for additional services to its members.
