Roxana Minzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Social Rights, Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, described Greece as one of the most dynamic and forward-looking countries in Europe in linking skills development with labour market policies.
Minzatu made the remarks while speaking to journalists during a visit to the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in Thessaloniki.
Minzatu said discussions with representatives of the Greek government in Athens confirmed that connecting skills to labour market needs remained a priority for the government and that Greece’s momentum in this area was “very positive”.
She noted that the country had started a long path of recovery following the economic crisis that began around 2008–2010, which deeply affected Greek society.
“Greece began from a period of many challenges,” she said. “But looking at developments, especially in recent years, there is clearly a positive trend, supported by the use of European resources and funding from the Recovery Fund, along with initiatives promoted by local and national authorities.”
According to the European Commission’s executive vice-president, challenges remained both in Greece and across the European Union. One key issue was the mismatch between skills produced through education and training and those demanded by the labour market.
“We observe a mismatch between the skills emerging from education and the skills required by the labour market,” she said, adding that European funding helped address the issue. She referred to investments through the European Social Fund that supported skills development initiatives in Greece.
Minzatu also highlighted two initiatives she recently observed: one focusing on vocational training in the bakery and pastry sectors and another supporting people with disabilities who were being trained for jobs in manufacturing.
“With the right ideas and the funding provided by the European Union, lives can truly change,” she said.
She stressed the importance of strengthening education in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—and noted that Greece had introduced initiatives in schools to familiarise children with STEM-related professions from an early age.
“This helps students later choose studies in these fields,” she said, adding that European funding continued to support such efforts.
Minzatu also pointed to the growing influence of artificial intelligence on the labour market and education systems. She said she discussed with Greece’s education minister a cooperation initiative with the private sector aimed at integrating AI tools into teacher training and classroom teaching.
“The key message is always the same,” she said. “There must be coherence and synergy between education, skills development and labour market needs.”
Despite positive progress, companies in Greece and across Europe continued to face difficulties filling vacancies for information and communication technology professionals. Minzatu said this was one of the reasons STEM education had become a major policy priority at European level.
She also announced an initiative under the EU’s “Union of Skills” programme aiming to bring one million new women and girls into STEM education by 2028, encouraging more female participation in technology-related fields such as IT and cybersecurity.
Minzatu noted that women remained underrepresented in these sectors despite having strong potential and talent. Increasing their participation could help reduce both the wage and pension gap between men and women.
The European Union also hoped to attract international talent through the “Choose Europe” initiative, which aimed to draw researchers and innovators from around the world.
At the same time, she emphasised the need to retain European talent. She said the European Commission proposed increasing the budget of the Erasmus+ programme by 50 per cent for the 2028–2034 period, including the introduction of STEM scholarships to support talented young Europeans.
“We want Europe to be a magnet for talent,” Minzatu said, “but at the same time we want to keep our own talent here.”
Meanwhile, Jürgen Siebel, director of Cedefop, explained that the agency’s work focused on producing “skills intelligence”, meaning the collection and analysis of data on vocational education and training systems and monitoring policy developments across Europe.
“This is the work we do,” Siebel said. “We gather and analyse data, which then informs policymaking. We do not set policy ourselves, but we provide the scientific foundation for it.”
