2026

Recovery and Resilience Plan (Reform C5.1R1: Addressing skills mismatch between eucation and labour market (Secondary and Higher Education)) – Reforms in Secondary General Education

1. Milestone 239a: Upgrading of the curricula of general secondary education, with the aim of better aligning them with the needs of the labour market.
   Within the framework of Milestone 239a, the upgrading of forty (40) curricula of General Secondary Education was completed in December 2025. The reformed curricula concern subject areas in the fields of Natural Sciences – Life Sciences – Informatics – Technology, and specifically the subjects of Biology, Geography, Mathematics, Informatics, Design and Technology, Physics, and Chemistry. The objective of this reform was the enrichment and upgrading of the curricula with proposed actions that promote specific skills, such as emotional intelligence, non-technical/soft skills, entrepreneurial skills, green skills/green transition, technical (hard) skills, citizenship skills, and cultural awareness and expression/intercultural skills, thereby contributing to addressing skills mismatches.
   2. Milestone 239a: New programme of study in General Secondary Education:  Direction 5b ‘’Applied Learning in Commerce and Services’’
   With a focus on providing students with experiential learning skills, reducing early school leaving and student stagnation in upper secondary education, and aligning educational programmes with the needs of the labour market, the Directorate of Secondary General Education of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth is in the process of developing a new programme of study, direction 5b “Applied Learning in Commerce and Services” in Lyceum (Grade 11 and 12). 
   The new programme of study of the Directorate of Secondary General Education (Direction 5b “Applied Learning in Commerce and Services”) concerns a direction of study within the existing 5th direction (Commerce and Services), with a clearer orientation towards labour market needs. Direction 5b is addressed to students who, after completing upper secondary education, are likely not to continue to academic studies and wish to enter the labour market directly; to students seeking an alternative route to employment through applied learning in their field of interest; and to students with a migrant background, while at the same time providing students with the possibility of access to tertiary education, should they so wish.
   This action includes the drafting of curricula and the development of educational material for six new subjects (12 curricula: 6 for Grade 11 and 6 for Grade 12), which relate to Office Management and Organization, Applied Informatics, Commerce – Marketing – Sales Techniques, Life and Health Education, Green Transition – Applied Biology and Technology & Applied Skills. These subjects have been selected as they will offer practical knowledge and skills leading to occupations in high demand in the labour market. 
   In addition, this action includes the design of targeted actions for Grade 11 and Grade 12 students, which will link education with labour market needs in the specific new subjects and will have a duration of two weeks per year. Finally, it will include the training of more than 1,000 teachers who will teach the new subjects and implement the targeted actions, specifically teachers of Economics/Business Studies, Informatics, Health Education, Biology, and Design and Technology.
   The above actions are expected to be completed by the end of March 2026.
   The implementation of Direction 5b will be carried out gradually. During the current school year 2025–2026, information activities will be carried out for Grade 10 students regarding Direction 5b, as well as the training of the teachers who will teach the new subjects and the targeted actions. Students will have the opportunity to choose and follow Direction 5b in Grade 11. In the 2026–2027 school year, a pilot implementation of 5b will take place in one upper secondary school per district (total 5 schools), with continuous monitoring and the possibility of corrective interventions. 
   3. Target 239b: Job Shadowing Programme
   Particular emphasis is also placed on students’ exposure to the working environment. Within the framework of the target 239b, the Directorate of Secondary General Education is reinstating the institution of the work week, which had been discontinued in 2013. Specifically, the action “Design and implementation of a Work Week – Job Shadowing programme for Grade 11 students during the 2025–2026 school year”, implemented by the Directorate of Secondary General Education within the framework of the RRP, is also included in the Government Project and the Annual Governance Planning for 2025, as well as in the Annual Action Plan 2025–2026 of the Ministry of Education.
   The Work Week – Job Shadowing programme will take place from 18/02/2026 to 03/04/2026, with a total duration of six and a half (6.5) weeks, based on a rolling schedule with specific dates allocated to each upper secondary school. Students enrolled in Grade 11 during the 2025–2026 school year are expected to participate in the programme. Each student will be placed with a host organisation/employer (workplace) outside the school for three (3) consecutive days within the above timeframe, on specific dates allocated to their school. In parallel, each student will attend relevant briefings and seminars at school for a total of two (2) days during the period January 2026 – April 2026.
   The aim of the Work Week – Job Shadowing programme is to provide students with the opportunity to become familiar with the working environment and to develop skills and attitudes that will support their future professional pathways, while more broadly contributing to strengthening the link between education and the labour market, the economy, and society. The implementation will be completed in June 2026. 
   4. Target 239c: Upgrading of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Design and Technology laboratories
   At the same time, the modernization of school infrastructure constitutes a core pillar of the reform. Within the framework of Target 239c, the Directorate of Secondary General Education is proceeding with the upgrading of laboratory equipment in approximately 300 laboratories of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Design and Technology in lower secondary schools (Gymnasia), upper secondary schools (Lyceums), and six-grade schools.
   The equipment to be provided to schools includes three-dimensional (3D) printers, laser engraving and cutting systems (laser engravers and cutters), fume cupboards, UV–VIS spectroscopy systems, and experimental setups enabling measurements via wireless sensors. These setups include experiments on enzyme activity, plant photosynthesis and cellular respiration, conductometric measurements and pH titration of hydrochloric acid solutions, as well as equipment for conducting Physics experiments in the field of Mechanics, covering uniform linear motion and uniformly accelerated motion, Newton’s first, second, and third laws, the study of collisions and other applications of the law of conservation of momentum, the work–energy theorem, the principle of conservation of mechanical energy, and the study of centripetal force. In addition, the equipment includes smartphone-based VR classes and augmented reality T-shirts.
   The upgrading of school laboratories is being carried out using cutting-edge technology, comparable to that which students will encounter both in their future academic pathways and in the labour market. Consequently, this action strengthens the link between education and the labour market by providing students with access to modern equipment and hands-on experience. At the same time, it fosters high-demand skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and technological literacy, effectively preparing young people for their studies and their professional future.The implementation will be completed in June 2026.  

2025

TSI 2025 “Effective policy interventions to consolidate the acquisition of basic skills in Cyprus”

The Directorate of Secondary General Education of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth is implementing the TSI 2025 project “Effective policy interventions to consolidate the acquisition of basic skills in Cyprus”, supported by the European Commission through the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by UNESCO. The project involves the Directorate of Primary Education, the Directorate of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training and the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. The implementation period covers 2025–2027. The project focuses on system-level policy design to strengthen basic skills and adopts a holistic approach across all levels of education.  Specifically, the aim of the project is to design and support the implementation of effective, evidence-based system-level policies to strengthen the acquisition of basic skills in Cyprus. The measure seeks to improve student performance in literacy, mathematics, science, digital and citizenship skills, with a particular focus on secondary education, while also strengthening the capacity of national authorities to use data and evidence in policy design and implementation. Activities include policy review, analysis of European good practices, development of actionable recommendations, a pilot study with an implementation manual and capacity-building workshops.

Green & Digital Skills Transformation

Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA/ANAD), ministries, and EU funded schemes have promoted in 2025 and 2026 Green & Digital Skills Transformation. 
Driven by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and the Green Transition, Cyprus is implementing large scale reforms that directly build transversal skills through:

• Expansion of digital upskilling programs for employees, jobseekers, and SMEs
• Training in AI, robotics, cybersecurity, digital communication tools
• Green skills programs on energy efficiency, circular economy, waste management, sustainable practices
• Integration of problem solving, adaptability, teamwork, and innovation into training modules
   

2024

The objectives of the Year of Youth 2024

The Council of Ministers, at its meeting in February 2024, decided regarding the achievement of the objectives of the year of youth 2024. The announcement of 2024 as the national year of youth aims to give visibility to youth issues, encourage the promotion of youth policies, enhance the participation of young people and their organizations in society and empower youth in general.

In the framework of the year of youth for Cyprus, new initiatives will be developed, and existing ones will be highlighted that support young people, their personal, social, economic, and professional development in a green, digital, and inclusive world. The activities will be in line with the objectives of the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027, as well as the priorities of the Governance Program. Its design and implementation will be based on the principles of democracy, inclusiveness, and active participation.

The main objectives of the year of youth, as decided in the council of ministers, are: 

• The promotion of democratic participation and active participation of young people and their organizations in decision-making processes.
• The improvement of policies that affect young people.
• The enhancement of young people's skills to facilitate their integration into society and the labor market.
• The creation of entrepreneurial initiative opportunities for young people.
• The promotion of the inclusion and equal opportunities
• The strengthening of the mental health of young people, which is very high on the priorities of the European Union.