Elefsina Shipyards are building the future
Eleusis, July 18, 2025
Fifteen new technicians, graduates of the Vocational Apprenticeship School (EPAS) of DYPA Elefsina, joined the workforce of the Shipyards in the presence of the Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Niki Kerameos.
In the presence of the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Mrs. Niki Kerameos, and the Governor of the Public Employment Service (DYPA), Mr. Spyros Protopsaltis, the President of ONEX Shipyards & Technologies , Mr. Panos Xenokostas, welcomed 15 new employees, graduates of the Vocational Apprenticeship School (EPAS) DYPA of Elefsina, at an event held at the Elefsina Shipyards.
These recruitments were implemented through a DYPA program, with paid internships in shipyards. They highlight both the essential role of technical education in supporting the Greek shipbuilding industry, as well as the need for synergy between the private and public sectors, with an emphasis on the utilization of highly trained human resources.
In her brief greeting, the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Mrs. Niki Kerameus, underlined the following: “In 2019, unemployment was at 17.8%. Today, 6 years later, unemployment is at 7.9% and we have over 500,000 new jobs. The difficulties are greater now, because we have now entered what we call the “hard core” of unemployment and therefore we must move even more targeted, even more methodically and in even greater osmosis with the labor market and its real needs. And this is exactly what the DYPA program does. By listening to the needs of the labor market, we prepare children for these new jobs. I truly hope that this program will serve as an example for many other businesses, which, through this event, we invite to communicate their needs to us, to tell us exactly what they need in the labor market, so that we, as the Public Employment Service, as the Ministry of Labor, can come and help meet these needs.”
The President and CEO of ONEX Group , and President of the Hellenic Shipyards Association, Mr. Panos Xenokostas, welcoming Mrs. Kerameus and Mr. Protopsaltis, emphasized that “the integration of 15 new professionals into the ONEXfamily , through the EPAS Apprenticeship of DYPA Elefsina, is proof that when the public and private sectors collaborate with a vision and a plan, then numbers get a face and the shipbuilding industry gets a future.”
“The shipyards,” Mr. Xenokostas pointed out, “are our people and we have been investing in them since day one, every day. Our goal is for the ONEX family to grow even further, and we will do so. Therefore, we are not simply investing in skills. We are investing in people, in new minds and hands that will take on the responsibility of the next day in our shipyards, and this is because the needs of our industry for specialized personnel are immediate and growing. Our collaboration with DYPA acts as a catalyst for the creation of a new generation of craftsmen, trained based on the real requirements of the industry. We support with actions employment and the shipbuilding renaissance that is being built step by step. And for this reason, every new job is not a number for us, but a vote of confidence in the future of Greek shipbuilding know-how.”
Mr. Xenokostas, moreover, thanked Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mrs. Niki Kerameus, as well as the Governor of DYPA, Mr. Spyros Protopsaltis, for the excellent, as he said, cooperation.
Finally, the Governor of DYPA, Mr. Spyros Protopsaltis, in his brief greeting, underlined the following: “It is a great pleasure, on my last day as Governor of DYPA, to see the tangible results of another public-private partnership action, which directly responds to the needs of the economy.Seeing our students graduate, obtain jobs and professional development prospects, is the strongest confirmation that our policies bring substantial results. We continue, from whatever position we serve, with the same commitment to people and the future of our country.”
