MIEEK is a higher school of vocational education and training offered by the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth. It offers 12 two-year tuition-free programs of studies in developing sectors of the economy. It was established to promote lifelong learning with an emphasis on supporting the adaptability of the workforce as well as to meet the needs of high school graduates not heading to university but who need specialized vocational training to become more capable and effective for employment.

Supply Chain Management and Maritime Studies is one of the twelve accredited programs at MIEEK. In a way, MIEEK provides equal opportunities for access to knowledge – hence to the labor market – to people with financial difficulties.

The program has close ties to the industry, an example of which is its advisory board. Its members are the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (Cyprus branch), the Cyprus Shipping Association, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science, and Technology (Cyprus branch), and KYFEAS (Cyprus Agency for Supply Chain Management and Operations).

Some of the students in our program are employed in the (maritime) industry but lack formal qualifications. Others have previous studies but wish to be retrained. And others are high-school graduates. Their ages range from 18 to 55.

Most of them work during the day and study in the evenings. Some of them have children. Balancing work, studies, and personal life can be a bit of a challenge. But our students know that, in our program, we are only a phone call or a message away. Students are eligible for up to four exemptions. A part-time study might help with the workload. However, part-time students are not eligible for the student state subsidy.

The program aims to offer students the knowledge, skills, competencies, and the mindset for a smooth entry into the labor market. All our instructors come from the industry and bring the latest market tendencies to class.

In the two years of their studies, students take twenty courses (or fewer if they are entitled to exemptions) and complete a twelve-week internship unless they are already employed in the industry. This internship experience is an opportunity to gain insight into good practices in Cyprus and abroad (in the framework of Erasmus+ and ErasmusPro). The full details of the courses are available online (mieek.ac.cy). Tuition is free. The language of instruction is Greek, but emphasis is given to English terminology.