«The impact of QualiCert on a national level: G REECE »

1. «The impact of QualiCert on a national level: GREECE» Effie Mavrou Environmental Science MSc on RES Technologies, Diploma on Environmental Education Training Department Division for Energy Policy and Planning 1

2. Preconditions for being a professional installer • Since 2000, there is the possibility for a “technician” to obtain certain types of a “Work Permit”, as long as he/she satisfies one of the following requirements: • having graduated from either Technical Vocational Lyceums / Schools (TELs, TESs and/or TEEs) or IEKs, or any equivalent to these, as referred to the Presidential Decree 38/91; • if being simply an experienced craftsman (i.e. not being graduate of any of the above mentioned technical schools), he/she must have a “proven professional experience”. • For “technicians” there are exact preconditions required - according to the qualifications or the professional experience of a technician - for the granting of each one of the established work permits: • Work permit for an assistant technician → lower level, • Work permit for a technician of certain class (A & B) → intermediate, • Work permit for an installations technician (A & B) → higher level.

3. Preconditions for being a professional installer The case of Plumbers

4. Technical and vocational education and training in Greece • It is within the competences of both: • the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs, & • the Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED), a body under the auspices of the Ministry of Employment and Social Protection. • It is provided with the following forms: • Formal Vocational Education and Training, defined as the 1st cycle of training/specialization that provides basic knowledge and skills for preparing the entrants to the labour market. • It includes the following structures: • Apprenticeship and Technical Vocational Schools (Level 2); • Vocational Training Institutes (Levels 1 and 3). • It is addressed to: • young High School graduates, • youngsters who haven’t graduated from high school, or Lyceum graduates.

5. Technical and vocational education in Greece • Forms(continued): • Continuing Vocational Training, by which the “life-long learning” procedure of the productive human resources is meant. • It is provided by: • certified vocational training centres (KEK), or • the training structures or human resource development departments of the companies, which organise either individually or in cooperation with certified KEKs programs for in-job training of their employees. • It is addressed to: • individuals that have low level of expertise, • self-employed for improving their qualifications or changing their jobs, if the previous ones have become obsolete, • the staff of private companies or groups of self-employed in order to upgrade their typical or actual qualifications.

6. Current training & certification scheme of Greece

7. Remarks/conclusions • Each manufacturer and/or importer of RE systems (or any other kind of equipment, systems or facilities) possesses its own group of installers for installing its own equipment/systems. • Most of private companies recruits within the company (on the job training) or re-train the existing employees mainly in the issues they should be familiar with, in order to meet their daily “obligations” (mostly using internal trainers). • Companies / their employees have the opportunity to participate in training programs of the continuing vocational training type, which are usually financed by bodies outside the company. • One of the 145 specialties officially approved by OEEK for inclusion in IEKs’ curricula is the “Renewable Energy applications technician” (which is not offered by any IEK up to now!). • Idea:Any training courses proposed/developed now (i.e. according to RED) could form part of the IEKs curriculum.

8. Remarks/conclusions • Vocational Training Centres (KEKs) may be interested in accredited training programs (e.g. for installers of small scale RES systems); they don’t need accreditation of structures or trainers, as they are operating and monitored according to the rules set out by the Greek State. • There is currently ongoing a procedure for defining the “professional profiles” of various professions. In these profiles the exact pre-requisites for being e.g. an installer will be clearly defined, including the training ones. This is the only “official” procedure for doing that. • Since November 2011, EKEPIS (for KEKs), EOPP (former OEEK – for IEKs + Certification of Qualifications) and the National Centre for Vocational Guidance (EKEP) are merged into a single entity, EOPPEP, the National Organisation for Accreditation of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance, under the supervision of the Minister of Education, Lifelong Learning ….  This is expected to simplify a lot the “certification of persons” procedure! • As regards the training of installers of RES systems, what was happened is that some pilot training courses were organised and held, deriving mainly from European projects (see EARTH project: http://www.earth-net.info/).

9. Remarks/conclusions • Problem 1: To persuade the already existing installers / technicians that their certification in a “new” field will be of added value for both themselves and the society! • Up to now their associations / guilds are strongly opposed to any “new” way of proving their abilities / skills (although they agree that the existing system of issuing the work permits should be changed and are positive in training their members in new technologies / techniques in their field)! • Problem 2: The RES systems manufacturers and other companies in the field are afraid that the “surveillance” (i.e. audits) & “re-certification” procedures will mean some “costs” that will be transferred to the «final product» (and the clients). • Problem 3: The authority responsible for the transposition of the RES Directive into the Greek legislation is the MEECC. But, the authority responsible for certification / qualifications / vocational training / lifelong learning is the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs. • These two have to form Committee (s) for implementing Article 14 of the RED  A very “difficult” (time consuming?) procedure!

10. Remarks/conclusions • Positive impacts of the project: • Getting together the Stakeholders • Got fruitful discussions • Dissemination and communication of the new Directive: stakeholders, guilds companies and individual technicians and are now waiting for the certification scheme for RET installers • Necessity of emphasis to the practical part of the training • Create a first communication “line” between relevant ministries, authorities and bodies

11. Thank you 19th kmMarathonos Av., 19009 - Rikermi Τel.: +30-2106603300, Fax: +30-210 6603301-2 www.cres.gr, cres@cres.gr Final Conference of 11