V - UPGRATeS

The “Emphasys Centre” has participated in the International Educational Fair of Cyprus 2017 “Education and Career”, organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus and the Chamber of Commerce (KEBE), between the 17th and 19th of February in Nicosia.

The International Education Fair of Cyprus is one of the biggest events organized in the field of education and training, as most of the participants are well-established organisations, higher education institutions and public-authorities. The Fair is regarded as the gate where the representatives of the higher educational institutions meet and attract Cypriot and international students living in Cyprus and wish to study either locally or abroad. The Fair also hosts every year public services and semi-state bodies to inform the public and especially young people regarding potential career and employment opportunities. Furthermore, the Fair offers the opportunity to providers of services addressed to students and young people such as educational and career services to approach students and young people.

The “Emphasys Center” as an approved by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture, Educational and ICT Training Centre participated in the Fair with its own booth aiming:
- To present the educational programmes and career services provided to young people, students, and professionals (GCE A’ Level Computing, ECDL, National ICT Exams, custom-made and in-service training etc.).
- To present the involvement of the Research Department in the preparation, coordination and implementation of European Research Programmes mainly under the Erasmus+ Programme in all sectors: Education, VET, Higher Education, Sports and Youth.

During the International Fair the project ‘V-UPGRATeS’ was presented individually on a specific time and has attracted the attention of interested people. The Emphasys team disseminated the project using all the relevant material that were designed for the needs of the fair, such as leaflets, posters, banners, presentations, petition lists etc. It is important to note that a Petition in relation to the promotion of the main aims of the ‘V-UPGRATeS’ project was initiated which will be an ongoing activity until the end of the project which can be implemented by other partners as well. A great number of signatures were collected as part of the Petition which is shown below.

Several important stakeholders, key people and official bodies, as well as parents, teenagers, teachers, youth workers and many others visited Emphasys’ booth and were informed about the ‘V-UPGRATeS’ project’s aims, objectives, products and expected outcomes. Among the visitors were the Permanent secretary of Ministry of Education and Culture, Members of Parliament, Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Representatives of the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus, Members of the Cyprus Computer Society, ECDL Examiners, Career Counselors and others.

It has to be noted that VET Trainers and Secondary School Teachers were greatly impressed by the project’s idea and initiative and those who showed interested, were also invited to participate in several activities planned for the next months. A number of VET trainers tried out the Assessment Tool and followed the procedure for the Skills Audit.

Overall the International Fair presented a great opportunity for the dissemination of the ‘V-UPGRATeS‘ project to a large number of interested people (estimated to be more than 10,000).

On April 9-10, 2016, CCS participated in the Cyprus International Studies Expo. There students and teachers had the opportunity to meet and talk with Mr. Andreas Loutsios regarding the V-UPGRATeS Project.