In the presence of the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Mrs. Niki Kerameos, and the Director 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 DYPA Elefsina Vocational Apprenticeship School (EPAS), at an event held at the Elefsina Shipyards.
These hirings were implemented through a DYPA program, with paid internships at the shipyards. They highlight both the essential role of technical training in supporting the Greek shipbuilding industry and the need for synergy between the private and public sectors, with emphasis on utilizing highly skilled human resources.
In a brief greeting, the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Mrs. Niki Kerameos, emphasized 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 entered what we call the ‘hard core’ of unemployment, and thus we must act even more targeted, even more methodically, and with 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 young people for these new jobs. I truly hope 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 require in the labor market, so that we, as the Public Employment Service, as the Ministry of Labor, can help precisely meet those needs.”
The Chairman and CEO of the ONEX Group, and President of the Hellenic Shipyards Association, Mr. Panos Xenokostas, welcoming Mrs. Kerameos and Mr. Protopsaltis, stressed that “the integration of 15 new professionals into the ONEX family, through the DYPA Elefsina Apprenticeship EPAS, is proof that when the public and private sectors collaborate with vision and planning, then numbers acquire faces and the shipbuilding industry gains a future.”
“The shipyards,” Mr. Xenokostas noted, “are our people, and in them we invest from day one, daily. Our goal is for the ONEX family to grow even further, and we will do so. Therefore, we do not merely invest in skills. We invest in people, in young minds and hands that will take on the responsibility of the next day at our shipyards, and this is because the needs of our sector for specialized personnel are immediate and growing. Our collaboration with DYPA acts as a catalyst for creating a new generation of craftsmen, trained according to the real demands of the industry. We support with actions employment and the shipbuilding renaissance being built step by step. And for this reason, every new job is not just a number for us, but a vote of confidence in the future of Greek shipbuilding expertise.”
Mr. Xenokostas, moreover, thanked the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mrs. Niki Kerameos, as well as the Director of DYPA, Mr. Spyros Protopsaltis, for what he called their admirable collaboration.
The Director of DYPA, Mr.
Spyros Protopsaltis, finally, in a brief greeting, emphasized the following: “It is a great joy, on my last day as Governor of DYPA, to see the tangible results of yet another public-private partnership action that directly responds to the needs of the economy. To see our students graduate, acquire jobs and prospects for professional advancement, is the strongest confirmation that our policies bring substantial results. We continue, from whatever position we serve, with the same dedication to the people and the future of our country.”
@isalosnet Snapshots from the welcoming event of Onex Shipyards & Technologies for 15 new employees, graduates of the Vocational Apprenticeship School (EPAS) DYPA Elefsina, which took place on Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Elefsina Shipyards. The event was attended by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Ms. Niki Kerameos, the Governor of the Public Employment Service (DYPA), Mr. Spyros Protopsaltis, as well as the President of ONEX Shipyards & Technologies, Mr. Panos Xenokostas. #isalosnet #greekshipping #maritime #onex #shipyards #onexshipyards ♬ original sound – isalosnet
