The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry participated in the kick-off meeting of the European Programme Erasmus KA3- Support for Policy Reform – Support for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises engaging in Apprenticeship held at the offices of the Paphos Chamber. The main aim of the programme is to establish an apprenticeship support service for small and medium enterprises.

The first of its kind, the Online Apprenticeship Resource Centre in Cyprus and Poland, is expected to be created using the expertise of the UK Association of Employment and Learning Providers Ltd (AELP).

The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, acting as an intermediary body and through its actions, will contribute to the proper integration of students in companies in order to obtain work experience and this will be facilitated by the use of the electronic platform AppHelp4SMEs Tool-kit.

After the kick-off meeting, a Focus Group meeting was organised by the LCCI with the participation of representatives from Limassol-based manufacturing companies, in order to examine the prospects for better cooperation between apprenticeships and businesses.

During the meeting, the business needs that could be covered by employing people from the apprenticeship scheme were discussed along with incentives for the businesses. The meeting was also an opportunity for participants to submit their concerns and exchange views, which were recorded for further investigation and elaboration.

The meeting was coordinated by Dr. Evi Dekoulou, Lecturer at Intercollege Nicosia, and Anthia Papageorgiou, Senior Officer of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.