Six Cyprus lyceums to pilot new job-focused school stream

Local educationemploymentschoolsTop News Six Cyprus lyceums to pilot new job-focused school stream Dsc 0644 Copy Relevant News Six Cyprus lyceums to pilot new job-focused school stream 11 August 2026 Cyprus schools to get social workers as pilot programme launches in September 11 August 2026 5.5 million euro plan to revive Peyia’s historic centre takes shape 11 August 2026 Evangelia Sizopoulou 11 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus’s Education Ministry will pilot a new educational stream, known as 5b, at six lyceums from this September. The ministry’s Directorate of Secondary Education designed the stream under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. The six schools are Idaliou Lyceum, Laniteio Lyceum, Livadion Lyceum, Lefkaron Lyceum, Paralimniou Lyceum and Archbishop Makarios III A’ Lyceum in Paphos. As philenews has reported since January, the stream aims to give pupils who want to enter the job market straight after graduation the knowledge and skills they need, particularly for professions that currently have no dedicated study programmes. Deputy Director of Secondary Education Giorgos Koutsidis told philenews that stream 5b is a new educational path within the existing fifth stream, Commerce and Services, with an emphasis on practical knowledge and skills that match job market demands. It is aimed mainly at pupils who want to move straight into employment after finishing lyceum, those looking for a more applied form of learning in their area of interest, and pupils with a migrant background. The programme still allows pupils to go on to tertiary education if they choose to. Koutsidis said the Directorate of General Secondary Education developed the new curriculum, specifically stream 5b, “Applied Learning in Commerce and Services,” to strengthen applied, hands-on learning, reduce early school leaving and stagnation at lyceum level, and better match education to the needs of today’s job market. The initiative was carried out under Milestone 239a of Reform C5.1R1 of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with a budget of €189,400. 12 new curricula written Rolling out the new stream required specific groundwork, including writing curricula and developing teaching material for six new subjects, taught in both the second and third years of lyceum, amounting to 12 curricula in total. According to Koutsidis, the new subjects are Office Management and Organisation, Applied Informatics, Commerce, Marketing and Sales Techniques, Life and Health Education, Green Transition and Applied Biology, and Technology and Applied Skills. He explained that the choice of subjects was based on data from HRDA studies on the needs of the Cyprus job market, as well as European skills forecasts, including Cedefop’s Cyprus Skills Forecast 2025 and the EURES/European Labour Authority’s Labour Shortages and Surpluses 2025, which cover staff shortages and high-demand professions across the EU. He said the new subjects are designed to match current job market needs, linked to high-demand professions identified in those studies in commerce, services, transport, storage, sales and administrative support. Pupils will gain knowledge and skills relevant to roles such as office management and organisation staff, customer service, sales and commercial support, warehouse and stock management, food sales and marketing, social media, multimedia and advertising assistants, automation management in commerce and office services, environmental management and compliance, monitoring and assigning maintenance of technology equipment, evaluating technology equipment tenders, and green office roles focused on energy saving and renewables, among other related mid-level positions. Since the 2025-2026 school year, Counselling and Career Education teachers have already briefed first-year lyceum pupils on the new stream and its subjects, and pupils’ choices have been recorded, giving schools a clear picture of how many pupils chose each subject. The rollout of stream 5b will happen gradually, with ongoing monitoring and the option to make corrective changes. Prospects and targeted actions Koutsidis said applied learning is expected to play a critical role in equipping pupils with the skills needed for these specific careers. He said this would strengthen pupils’ employment prospects, ease their transition from school into the job market, and help build a modern, skilled and competitive workforce capable of meeting the demands of a constantly changing economy. As part of stream 5b, targeted activities lasting two weeks per school year have also been designed for second and third-year lyceum pupils, aimed at strengthening the link between education and the world of work through the new subjects. During the 2025-2026 school year, both online and in-person training sessions were held in Nicosia and Limassol for teachers from all districts who will teach the new subjects and coordinate the targeted activities, specifically those specialising in Economics and Commerce, Informatics, Health Education, Biology, and Design and Technology. Counselling and Career Education teachers have also been trained in the philosophy, structure and content of the new curriculum, so they can effectively inform, guide and support pupils in choosing the new stream, based on their interests, skills and career prospects. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus schools to get social workers as pilot programme launches in September 5.5 million euro plan to revive Peyia’s historic centre takes shape Kato Paphos harbour upgrade moves forward after first planning talks Elderly employers hit hardest as CY Login shakes up social insurance payments Nicosia dangerous buildings map labels occupied areas in Turkish Cyprus police cells hold 77 inmates in space built for 40 EDEK opens leadership race after all four bids validated Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.