ABSTRACT

Vocational education is included among the top priorities of the European Union administration. This is dictated by the need for moderating the inequalities in knowledge among nation-members, also for responding to the technological challenges, requiring a qualified and adaptive work force.

The past few years have been seen important changes in vocational education and training (VET) in Greece. Among other developments, new institutions have been set up, innovative programmes have been implemented, and the social partners have been taken on a more active role. Certification processes have been changed to come more closely to European standards and the curricula have been modernised. Certainly much remain to be done to bring the Greek vocational education and training system in line with those of the others EU Member States.

The Greek system of vocational education and training underwent major restructuring in '90. The overall aim was to promote parity of esteem for vocational education pathways in a country where people strongly favour general and university education and focus to a far lesser degree on opportunities or possibilities on the labour market.

The system was to be made more clear and comprehensive, thus easing student choices and possibilities in the frame of a dynamic educational system.

Greek education has always been characterised by a strong demand for general education and, by extension, for education at university level. In the past, vocational education and training held only minimal interest for young people. The situation today is still much the same. Young people still look upon vocational education as a last resort, despite the state's continued efforts to promote VET as an option of equal standing, and despite research data which shows vocational education graduates facing fewer difficulties in finding work than general education graduates.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the present situation and the interest for vocational education and training in Greece by presenting the development of VET Institutions, in relation with the changes in higher education System. We attempt a review of relative bibliography concerning the training system in Greece, and the evolution of the Institutes of vocational training (I.E.K.) in the region of Achaia from 1993-2004. We present the areas of Specializzation, the Instructors who have worked, and finally the economic situation of the region and the correspondence of IEK areas of specializzation in the regional labour market.