According to the Bill for the establishment of Academies for private sector executives, which will be presented today, Friday, January 31, to the Cabinet by Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Kyriakos Pierrakakis, the first three Academies will be founded in Kilkis, utilizing the infrastructure of the International University, as well as in Arcadia and Kozani.

More specifically, Kilkis will offer training in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Arcadia will focus on Winemaking, and Kozani will specialize in Mechatronics.

These professional Academies will train executives for private businesses, awarding Level 5 diplomas. The right to establish such institutions will be granted to businesses or entities such as Chambers of Commerce.

Regarding educational infrastructure, companies will be responsible for training students within their own facilities, equipped with the necessary laboratories. Alternatively, courses may be held within public institutions, but the businesses will be responsible for covering operational costs.

The new structures, which will be specialized and spread throughout Greece, will have curricula, training guides, and administration developed through public-private partnerships. Specifically, the educational material will be designed by the respective businesses based on the specialization they offer.

Each Academy will operate with one or more areas of specialization.

To initiate the establishment of a new Academy, a formal application must first be submitted to the General Secretariat for Vocational Education and Training of the Ministry of Education by private businesses or other entities, according to their needs.

For a license to be granted, the private business must cover the necessary expenses and commit to absorbing a specific percentage of the Academy’s graduates, as defined by law.

Regarding instructors, they may be either public-sector educators or trainers hired and paid by the Ministry of Education, following the same procedures as SAEK (formerly IEK). While the Ministry of Education will cover faculty salaries, private businesses operating the Academies will have the right to offer additional compensation to public-sector professors and private trainers.

600 Positions in the Historic Patriarchates

The Cabinet will also be presented with the formalization of 600 clergy positions at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai.

According to sources, these positions will be gradually filled through the hiring of 70–80 priests per year until all 600 positions are occupied.