Graduation ceremonies were held in Syros and Elefsina for students of the DYPA Apprenticeship Vocational Training Schools (EPAS), which operate in collaboration with ONEX, marking the completion of an important educational journey for young people who chose specializations directly linked to the needs of the shipbuilding and ship repair industries.
As announced in the relevant press release, on Wednesday, June 24, the graduation ceremony for the first students of the “Shipbuilding Technician,” who successfully completed their program, opening a new chapter in their professional careers.
The ceremony was attended by the Director of the Public Employment Service (PES), Gianna Chormova; the Deputy Director of the PES, Stefanos Polimenopoulos, and the General Manager of Onex Shipyards & Technologies, Giannis Vamvakousis, who congratulated the graduates on the successful completion of their studies and wished them a successful professional career.
This was followed, on Friday, June 26, at the ONEX facilities in Elefsina, the graduation ceremony for students of the DYPA Elefsina Apprenticeship Vocational School in the specializations “Shipbuilding Technician” and “Electrical and Elevator Technician.”
The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Director of DYPA, Stefanos Polimenopoulos, and the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of ONEX Shipyards & Technologies, Ioannis Stamatopoulos, who spoke about the importance of technical education and apprenticeships in meeting the needs of the labor market, while also expressing their best wishes for the graduates’ successful professional careers.
The “Shipbuilding Technician” program began operating in Syros in September 2024 as a branch of the DYPA Elefsina Apprenticeship Vocational Training School (EPAS), as part of DYPA’s collaboration with ONEX.
Starting in September 2025, the Syros branch expanded its operations by adding the specialization “CNC Machine Tool Technician,” further strengthening vocational education and training opportunities in fields directly linked to the needs of industrial production and shipbuilding and repair.
The development of these programs in Syros and Elefsina addresses the shipbuilding industry’s current need for a specialized workforce and highlights the importance of close collaboration between vocational education and the industry. At the same time, it creates new educational and employment opportunities for young people, helping to strengthen shipbuilding and ship repair activities and the “blue economy.”
DYPA Director Yianna Chormova stated:
“The graduation of the first students in the ‘Shipbuilding Technician’ program, as well as the graduates of the ‘Electrical and Elevator Technician’ in Syros and Elefsina, marks a particularly significant milestone for DYPA and serves as tangible proof of the value of the partnerships we are developing with businesses and industry stakeholders across the country.
Our goal is for our schools to provide young people with knowledge, skills, and meaningful work experience that meet the real needs of the economy. Today we are seeing the first graduates of a program created to meet the growing needs of the shipbuilding industry and to create new career opportunities for young people in their local communities, as well as new graduates in a program with consistently high demand in the job market, such as Electrical Work and Elevators.
“We continue to methodically invest in modern, high-demand fields, strengthening the link between vocational education and employment and creating stable pathways from learning to work.”
Panos Xenokostas, President and CEO of Onex Shipyards & Technologies, stated:
“We embarked on this journey with a clear goal: to equip the younger generation with the tools to shape their own future by combining quality education with real-world work experience.
The graduation ceremonies for students in critical fields confirm the momentum of this new era for the country’s industrial development. This successful public-private partnership demonstrates that, when we put people at the center, we can make a substantial contribution to rebuilding the national economy.
In this context, I would like to warmly thank the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos, for her unwavering support and our shared commitment to boosting youth employment.
At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude to DYPA for its excellent cooperation and steadfast commitment to our shared goal of shaping a new generation of highly skilled technicians. At the ONEX Group, every new job represents an investment in preserving and advancing Greek shipbuilding expertise.
The driving force behind our shipyards is our workforce; that is where we invest every day, actively supporting young people and the future of the industry. On behalf of the ONEX family, I warmly congratulate all the graduates and wish them a successful and creative career.”