Official guidelines on traineeships and apprenticeships

There are no main top-level official guidelines concerning traineeships or apprenticeships in Cyprus.

Depending on the traineeship or apprenticeship scheme, the responsibilities of each party involved (providers and participants) are formulated. Few examples of traineeships or apprenticeship can be found below:

Vocational Education and Training Apprenticeship System (Σύστημα Μαθητείας Επαγγελματικής Εκπαίδευσης και Κατάρτισης (ΣΜΕΕΚ): This Apprenticeship System aims to ensure that young people are employed and remain socially active as active citizens while meeting the needs of the labour market. Its main objectives are:

• To offer alternative learning styles to adolescents who leave the formal education system and who need to develop specific skills or professional skills, taking the appropriate skills, either for further education in choices offered by the education system or for employment in the labor market.
• To ensure mobility and flexibility in the choices of young people offered by the education system, apprenticeship and work, without dead ends and exclusions.
• To improve the labour offer with young people who are adequate, qualified and certified professionals, ready to meet the needs of the economy.

Providing Opportunities to New Graduates of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering up to 29 who are NEET (offered by Technical Chamber of Cyprus). The project commenced in Autumn 2022 and is designed to provide a 1-year-traineeship to NEETs who are up to 29 years old and hold degrees in Architecture, Civil Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

Providing Opportunities to Graduates of Law (2017-2021) up to 29 who are NEETs (offered by Cyprus Bar Association). The project is open to law graduates who have obtained a Certificate of Registration for a Practitioner and at the same time they are up to 29 years old and NEETs at the commencement stage of their training. This project is co-funded by the European Social Funds and the Youth Employment Initiative.

Additionally, the Cyprus Bar Association, under the THALIA 2021-2027 Programme, invites applications for the Subsidy Project for Internship for New Law Graduates. This project aims to facilitate the training required by the Advocates Law for young law graduates up to 29 years old, holding Trainee Advocate Registration Certificates and currently not engaged in employment, education, or training. The co-funded project, effective from January 2023 until the exhaustion of the allocated budget, is open to eligible graduates whose training begins on or after 1 January 2023.

Promoting traineeships and apprenticeships

The traineeships and apprenticeships are usually promoted through the career guidance and counselling services described in section 3.4.

In addition, the project “University Labour Market Liaison Offices” (Γραφεία Διασύνδεσης) has to be underlined. This is a project in which 8 Universities operating in the Republic of Cyprus are involved and it is funded by the Structural Funds of the European Union. The main goal of the project is to connect the academic and the business community as well as students placement during their studies in entities/organisations relevant to their field of study. The ultimate aim is to gain professional experience and improve their skills and knowledge.

Apart from this, there are no other top-level policy measures or initiatives to facilitate the participation, support and awareness of young people about traineeships and apprenticeships.

Recognition of learning outcomes

When it comes to the  Vocational Education and Training Apprenticeship System that is described above, the skills that young people acquire are formally recognised by Cyprus. As a result, of their participation, they obtain a diploma or a certificate. So far, young people cannot validate the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in any other way since such mechanisms are not yet in place.

Funding

The Vocational Education and Training Apprenticeship System are co-funded by the European Social Fund and the Republic of Cyprus. The amount of funding is not available.

The budget for the Scheme “Providing Opportunities to New Graduates of Architecture, Civil Engineering & Electrical Engineering up to 29 who are NEET” (offered by the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus) is € 6 000 000. Τhe scheme is co-funded by the Youth Employment Initiative and the European Social Funds.

The total budget for the Scheme "Providing Opportunities to Graduates of Law (2017-2021) up to 29 who are NEET" (offered by Cyprus Bar Association) for the period 2017-2023 is €18 000 000. Τhe scheme is co-funded by the by the Youth Employment Initiative and the European Social Funds.

Quality assurance

There are not any existing systems of quality assurance applied to schemes of traineeships and apprenticeships in the country. The Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth prepares annual reports, which includes information on the Vocational Education and Training Apprenticeship System.