Cyprus urged to strengthen skills renewal as working lives lengthen

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus needs to strengthen skills renewal as working lives become longer and more varied, Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas said on Friday.

Speaking at the Human Resource Development Authority’s annual meeting with vocational training centres, he said employees must renew their skills to remain in the labour market on decent terms until retirement.

Training and labour market transition

Mousiouttas described Anad as a key state partner in improving productivity and employment prospects, saying vocational training had become essential as the labour market undergoes a radical transition.

He said artificial intelligence and new technologies should be adopted with a focus on people, respect for labour rights and investment in appropriate skills.

Programme participation and digital upgrades

The minister said Anad’s training programmes had exceeded 25,600 participations, supported by a budget of €14 million and focused on digital and entrepreneurial skills.

He said digital upgrades and simplified procedures had reduced administrative burdens for businesses and applicants. Attention is now being directed towards the quality of training structures and measuring their impact on employment and productivity.

Participation below EU average

Eurostat figures show that adult participation in vocational training in Cyprus rose to 12 per cent last year, from 7.5 per cent in 2015, but remained below the EU average of 13.7 per cent.

A recently published European Commission report found that one in four Cypriots seeks education in the workplace, significantly below the EU target of 60 per cent.