After leaving school, Aristea Zachari was unemployed for three months and increasingly dependent on her parents. A visit to the local career office introduced her to the Youth Guarantee scheme and the opportunities it offers unemployed young people in Greece.

“Finding out about the scheme was great,” she explains, “because I felt that it was a chance for me to learn and practice the profession that I liked.”

That profession was hairdressing, something Aristea had always been interested in. Through the Youth Guarantee scheme, she undertook a tailored two-year apprenticeship that mixed on-the-job training with theoretical classes. The daily combination of practical and theoretical learning was something Aristea found particularly useful.

“If I was struggling to learn how to do something at work in the morning, I could ask my teachers about it at school in the afternoon,” she shares. “Then the following day I could put what I’d learned into practice.”

Over the two years, Aristea gained a wealth of valuable skills and experience. “The apprenticeship offered me a new way of thinking. I learned about teamwork and how to look after clients.”

“I earned my own money for the first time in my life and I felt very proud,” she adds. “I believe I’ve become more mature and responsible too.”

Now that her apprenticeship has finished, Aristea is assessing her options for the future. One of the salons she worked at during her training has offered her a job, but she is also considering setting up her own business. “I know that in the present economic situation it will be difficult,” she admits, “but I have two years’ work experience now. I believe I can manage it, if I try hard.”

About the programme

The Apprenticeship Programme at EPAS OAED for NEET’s 15-24 is funded by the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) through the Operational Programme ‘Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020’ and implemented by the Greek Manpower Organisation (OAED). The programme provides vocational education for NEETs in its 51 vocational schools (EPAS) across the state. Students attend theoretical and laboratory courses, complemented with on-the-job training.

Youth unemployment in Greece

• As of May 2016, 50.3% of young people under 25 in Greece were unemployed.
• In Greece, the Youth Guarantee offers young people aged 15-24 employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving initial education.

Find out more

• OAED (Greek Manpower Organisation)
• Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare
• Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan (EL)