At manufacturing sectors , the logistics , the information and communication technologies (ICT) , the energy and mining , recorded the highest employment growth in 2013/19. This increase was higher than for the economy as a whole. This is the conclusion of a study by SEV , which shows that many of the occupations in Vocational Education and Training (VET) are quite dynamic, i.e. they offer better employment prospects and pay. These are medium-level professions, mainly in the productive branches of the economy. Sectors that showed remarkable momentum as key pillars of job growth and employment enhancement in the period between the peak of the economic crisis and the onset of the pandemic.

In 2019, 68% of workers in critical productive sectors were employed in VET occupations. For the economy as a whole, the corresponding figure was 37%. Among the VET professions, the most numerous categories are "Operators", "Craftsmen" and "Management and Economics Professions". Categories that show remarkable dynamics and evolve as key pillars of employment support.

Dynamic professions

In other words, these are sectors and professions with a significant potential for workers. This is because they are at the heart of businesses' quests for properly trained human resources. However, as the productive sectors absorb an increasing percentage of human resources, the need to upgrade the quality of the VET system and further link it to the challenges of productive transformation intensifies. In this way, it will be able to offer the specific, modern, knowledge and skills. Elements that will allow people to find work, and businesses to meet their business needs.

Enhancing the skills of human resources broadens employment prospects. At the same time, it enables businesses to meet their specialized needs. Therefore, the redesign of VET programmes is a process with mutual benefits for workers, underemployed, unemployed and businesses. It is a crucial condition for effectively supporting the transition towards a development model. A model oriented towards production and exports, with more and better jobs.

Conclusions on dynamic professions

There are dynamic professions coming from Vocational Education and Training where the number of employees increases and good employment and pay prospects are provided. It is important that VET focuses there.

• In 2019, employment in sectors such as Manufacturing, Logistics, Information and Communication Technologies, Energy and Mining, in 2019 employment accounted for 17% of the total. In these sectors, employment growth in 2013-2019 is higher than for the economy as a whole.

• VET professions are a particularly important pillar of employment in productive sectors (68%). As the contribution of productive sectors to total employment increases, the need to link VET with them increases. This is in order to offer programs that meet the needs of businesses, and therefore to help the professional perspective of its participants.
• The role of VET is key. It must equip participants with the appropriate knowledge and skills. To facilitate their integration into the labor market and to operate based on the productive needs of businesses.
• Adapting VET to technological and economic conditions will allow the Greek productive ecosystem to meet the needs in knowledge and skills and enhance employment with properly trained human resources in dynamic, up-and-coming productive activities and well-paid jobs.
• At the same time, the effort to upgrade VET needs to be combined with initiatives in other, related fields, such as, for example, regulated technical professions. There, productive enterprises face constant and serious shortages of properly trained human resources. Bureaucratic rigidities and delays in authorisation procedures are also problems.

The Regions

• In the Region, increased from two in 2013, to four in 2019, the regions with a share of employment in productive sectors higher than 20%. These Regions also recorded some of the highest employment growth rates overall. However, there are regions with evidence of excess demand – i.e. shortages in the supply of human resources for some of the VET professions.

• The matching of dynamic and populous VET professions with specialized thematic areas of education and training can be a valuable input and guide for the substantial redesign of the education and training programs of the educational institutions involved (IEK, EPAL, OAED Apprenticeship Schools).