Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK) / Post-Secondary Year - Apprenticeship Class

Vocational training specialties at Higher Vocational Training Schools and in the Post-Secondary Year - Apprenticeship Class are provided based on the corresponding Training Guides.

Until the issuance of the Training Guides for the Apprenticeship specialisations, the Apprenticeship Curricula, as approved by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), are implemented both for the specialty laboratory course and for the workbased learning programme (Ministerial Decision 104602/K5/20.09.2024  "Regulation on the operation of the Post-Secondary Year - Apprenticeship Class"). 

Under the responsibility of  the Directorate of Planning and Development of Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning of the General Secretariat for VET&LL, special scientists, experts, trainers and professional executives, with the assistance of the social partners or other public or private bodies, develop “Τraining Guides" for each specialty. The General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning supervises the implementation of the Training Guides. 

Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK)

Vocational training at Higher Vocational Training Schools  (SAEK) starts in the fall or spring semester of each academic year. The duration of studies, last for a minimum of four (4) semesters and cannot exceed a total of five (5) semesters, in accordance with the Training Guide per specialty, including the period of internship or apprenticeship.

The training of graduates of secondary vocational education (EPAL), as well as of holders of equivalent vocational education diplomas, lasts at SAEK from two (2) to three (3) semesters, including the internship or apprenticeship period, if it is a diploma in a specialty of the professional field from which they graduated from EPAL or an equivalent structure of secondary vocational education.

Each training semester includes the period during which courses are conducted, in accordance with the Training Guides, as well as the period during which the final examinations take place. The training for each semester is considered complete, when all the prescribed teaching hours, as described in the Training Guide for each specialisation, have been fulfilled.

Training includes:

• Theoretical subjects taught in classrooms by a sole instructor with the aim of providing trainees with the knowledge necessary to understand the subject matter of the field in which they are trained.
• Laboratory courses: these are carried out solely in laboratories and aim at the consolidation of the theoretical part of the training and the acquisition of skills.  
• Mixed courses: these require concurrent theoretical training and skills acquisition.

According to l. 4763/2020  the new “Training Guides”, which are approved, certified and  issued, include among others: 

• the institutional framework, which includes in particular the provisions on specialties and prequisites for entering the profession, professional functions and professional standards,
• the expected learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and competences, the matching of learning outcomes into credits, where possible,
• the timetable with the syllabus of each theoretical or laboratory course unit, structured according to the intended learning outcomes of each subject,
• the educational methodology for obtaining the learning outcomes, such as learning in the training unit, learning in the workplace or internship and distance education-training,
• the qualifications of trainers,
• the teaching methods and the necessary equipment, where required,
• teaching aids,
• the qualification pathways,
• the certification process and the certification standard, including a repository bank of qualification assessment items, corresponding to the respective level of the National Qualifications Framework. 

The Minister of Education approves the Training Guides of each Higher Vocational Training School  (SAEK), after their certification by the Board of the  National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP). Upon approval, they are posted on the websites of the Ministry of Education and EOPPEP. 130 New Training Guides (l. 4763/2020) - Initial Vocational Training Guides for Public Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK) have been published.

During the process of their certification by EOPPEP, graduates of Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK) are examined and certified according to the relevant  specialty Guides or Study Programs.

The Training Guides are applied, after being published, for the training of specialties in  SAEK and in the Post-secondary year-Apprenticeship class and the certification of their graduates by the EOPPEP, replacing the Guides or the Study Programs of respective specialties.

Specialties provided for under l. 4186/2013, in which studies are still ongoing, will be abolished upon their completion.

Post-secondary year – Apprenticeship class

The Post-Secondary Year – Apprenticeship Class programme begins on September 1st of each year and is completed on August 31st of the following year. The period for specialty laboratory courses can start on October 1st. The workbased learning period takes place from October 1st of each year until August 31st of the following year. The programme is considered complete once the required hours of the specialty laboratory course and the days of workbased learning, as specified in the Training Guide, are also completed. The workbased-learning program lasts eight (8) hours daily, and the distribution of hours between the laboratory course of specialty and the workbased-learning programme is determined by the Training Guide for each specialty.

The Post-Secondary Year – Apprenticeship Class is intended for holders of General upper secondary school leaving certificate and of Vocational upper secondary school (EPAL) degree and includes the following:

A. The workbased learning programme: It can be carried out from October 1st to August 31st of each year, with a maximum duration of 172 calendar days (for the programme to be considered complete), including 12 days of regular leave.The 32-hour weekly program is divided into four (4) days, eight (8) hours per day, excluding weeks that include official holidays and the period during which the employer’s business remains closed. The granting of regular leave (12 working days) is mandatory until the end of the apprenticeship contract, or proportional leave in the case of early termination of the contract.

The workbased learning programme is implemented based on the Apprenticeship Training Guide for each specialty. It includes knowledge, skills, and competencies, or even complete professional activities/tasks, and constitutes an annex to the apprenticeship contract. The apprentice does not attend the workplace on the day of the specialty laboratory course.In cases where the program is not carried out on certain days for any reason, this results in an extension of the apprenticeship contract’s end date.Exceeding the daily working hours beyond those defined in the apprenticeship contract is not permitted.

B. The specialty laboratory course: It can be conducted starting from October 1st and is taught one (1) day per week for seven (7) teaching hours by teaching staff of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports. It is structured in 1-3 partial thematic units or specific subjects and takes place at Laboratory Centers (EK) and/or in School Laboratories of Vocational Upper Secondary Schools (EPAL), beyond EPAL's regular operating hours, once a week.The daily duration of the specialty laboratory course is set at seven (7) teaching hours, each lasting forty (40) minutes, with a five-minute break between two teaching hours.The content and total duration of the specialty laboratory course are defined in the corresponding Apprenticeship Training Guide. No classes are hled during the Christmas, Easter, and summer holiday periods.

The program is considered complete upon the completion of the required hours of the specialty laboratory course and the workplace learning days, as defined in the Training Guide of each specialty. 

The curricula per specialty are defined by the relevant ministerial decisions and mainly cover the laboratory course of the specialty. By decision of the competent Secretary General, the same programs are used to describe the learning outcomes and workbased- learning.
Within the context of linking vocational education and training with the needs of society and the professional and scientific developments, teachers implement the study programmes of post-secondary year - apprenticeship class. They are structured  as learning modules consisting of bundles of learning outcomes that cover the scope of each course.

The existing curriculum of post-secondary year - apprenticeship class, regarding laboratory courses, is quite flexible. 20% of the total teaching time, that is 42 out of 203 teaching hours of the apprenticeship programme that takes place in the school unit, is covered by the syllabus chosen by the teacher.

The teacher can act autonomously and cover the special educational needs and interests of the trainees, as well as other needs that arise from local or other type of specific circumstances.  He/she can also specify further the rest of the programme or even introduce new elements related to the specialty.

Taken into consideration that trainees during their integration in the apprenticeship, are in a transition phase from school to work environment, the implementation of the apprenticeship curricula draws elements both from the pedagogical theories of learning and the principles of adult learning.

The specialties of the Post-Secondary Year - Apprenticeship Class, which have been provided for by previous legislation, are still valid until their replacement by the procedure defined by l. 4763/2020.

As regards the recruitment of personnel and the selection procedure, information can be found in  ministerial decision 104602/Κ5/24 on the Νew Regulation on Post-Secondary Year-Apprenticeship Class.  Information regarding the operation and organisation of the Preparatory Certification Program can be found in  Minsisterial Decision 36828/Κ5/30-3-23.

 Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK)

According to l. 4763/2020 and l. 5082/2024 the Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK), aim at:

1. providing initial vocational training to graduates of non-compulsory secondary education, i.e. general upper secondary schools (GEL) and vocational upper secondary schools (EPAL), as well as to holders of equivalent degrees, 

2. providing corresponding qualifications to the trainees through the teaching of scientific, technical, professional, and practical knowledge and the development of relevant skills, in order to facilitate their professional integration and to ensure their adaptability to the changing needs of the production process.

SAEK operate as flexible bodies for the continuous provision, adjustment and modernization of the qualifications of the human resources. Their mission is to provide essential and standard professional knowledge tools and qualifications in order to facilitate the mobility of employees, while strengthening economy and contributing to the growth of productivity. 

Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK) may be public or private.  Attendance at public Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK) is free of charge. 

Public Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEK) encompassing responsibilities, positions, personnel and infrastructure, constitute decentralised services of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.Τhey fall under the authority of the General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning, which exercises their supervision.

Specialised Vocational Training Schools for people with disabilities may be established, based on the development of specialised studies proposed by the Central Scientific Committee of the General Secretariat for Vocational Education, Training and Lifelong Learning. 

Furthermore, ten (10) Experimental and five (5) Thematic Higher Vocational Training Schools have been established according to l. 4763/2020. 

The mission of the Experimental SAEK is to promote the development and trial implementation of an innovative operational model, based on specific requirements, with a focus on educational methodology, teaching staff, targeted specialties, modern teaching aids, infrastructure, laboratory equipment and quality management system.

The specific mission of each Thematic SAEK is the pilot development and promotion of specialised vocational training specialties, corresponding to targeted growth sectors of the economy,  through the implementation of innovative operational methods and the adoption of best international practices.

Post-secondary year – Αpprenticeship class 

The implementation of the post-secondary – apprenticeship class is, currently, based on apprenticeship curricula designed by the  Institute of Educational Policy (IEP). The programs meet quality standards set by the approved quality framework of program studies, as well as the criteria that are compatible with the respective validated job profiles of the  National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP).

As regards teaching methods, within the framework of the apprenticeship curricula, educational methods and teaching techniques are proposed to the educators. These methods give emphasis on linking theory with practice and are focused on the trainee and his/her needs.

In particular, during the implementation of the apprenticeship curricula, emphasis is given on:

1. Self-motivation
2. Active participation
3. Learning-based experience
4. Collaboration
5. Cultivation of skills and competences

Indicatively, educators may use the following methods and techniques:

1. Debate
2. Exercises-applications related to the professional context of each specialisation
3. Demonstration
4. Case studies
5. Group work
6. Role playing
7. Simulation
8. Projects
9. Problem solving
10. Interview
11. Educational visit.

Emphasis is also given on the practice of trainees' digital and practical skills related to the use of general or special software and machines.

The material in use for the implementation of the post-secondary year - apprenticeship class curricula may be drawn from multiple valid and reliable resources.  Such resources are scientific papers, published surveys, conference minutes, etc. 
In addition, the  educator can use free software and educational tools, if necessary.  Finally, the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) has support material and guidelines for the specialties of the Post-secondary year - Αpprenticeship Class.