Gianna Chormova, head of the Public Employment Service (DYPA), proposed setting up a pilot European exchange programme for employment advisers, modelled on Erasmus. She was speaking in Brussels on Tuesday at the European Public Employment Services conference, “PES Network Stakeholder Conference”, held as part of the PES Network’s regular meeting.
The proposal envisages short visits and job shadowing with colleagues at other European employment services, focusing on shared challenges such as working with employers, supporting people facing complex barriers to finding work, and making use of digital tools. The aim is for each participant to return to their service with one specific improvement they can test and share with their team.
In her remarks, Chormova outlined DYPA’s investment in the ongoing training of its staff, with a particular focus on employment advisers, who connect people with job opportunities and businesses with the workforce they need every day.
The presentation was delivered jointly with the Ministry of the Interior, at DYPA’s invitation, and highlighted the link between the unified framework for public administration workforce development and the specialist training required by DYPA’s services.
Particular attention was given to the 200-hour specialist training programme developed by DYPA in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, with funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The programme ran in 2024–2025 and aimed to train 1,000 employment advisers.
It covered career guidance, changes in the labour market, skills needs, working with employers and matching candidates to jobs. The training combined theoretical knowledge with case studies and simulations.
DYPA also makes use of programmes run by the Training Institute of the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government. Participation in training linked to individual development plans rose from 434 in 2024 to 1,792 in 2025. These figures represent programme attendances, not the number of unique employees.
Training is also accompanying the introduction of new tools in employment services. In 2026, training on skills-based matching of candidates to jobs drew 313 employee participations, while training on the use of labour-market information drew 853 in 2024.
The head of DYPA said employment advisers need to combine knowledge of the labour market with the ability to listen to people, understand their difficulties and help them plan feasible next steps. Digital tools and artificial intelligence can support this work, while advisers retain their professional judgement and responsibility for providing guidance.
Gianna Chormova said:
“People who come to DYPA are looking for a job opportunity and often need help working out where to start. Employment advisers need the knowledge, time and right tools to support them.
That is why we invest in training our people and are proposing a European exchange programme for advisers. We should see first-hand what works in other countries and return with specific solutions that can help people and businesses”.
DYPA’s proposals also include learning from real cases and collaboration among colleagues, as well as innovation workshops where frontline staff can propose and test improvements to the day-to-day operation of the services.