New face for unemployment services

PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday inaugurated the first local Labour Office in the Nicosia suburb of Lakatamia.

“The government is investing over £5 million in reorganising and modernising the Labour Offices, through the Human Resources Programme, which is partly funded by the EU,” the President said, adding the Lakatamia office was the first of 14 local offices scheduled to open by the end of the year.
He added that queues would be something of the past and the unemployed would be registered through a computerised system, would be entitled to a personal interview for an assessment of qualifications and expertise, and would receive information on available employment opportunities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Labour Minister Antonis Vassiliou said the government’s employment department was supporting young people and their integration in the labour market, was facilitating the access and reintegration of vulnerable groups to the labour market, and was promoting persons with low qualifications in vocational training programmes.

Furthermore, he said, it was promoting equal opportunities and providing alternative forms of employment.

Referring to the new local Labour Offices, Vassiliou said there would be ”an open door for every citizen to the labour market and a window of communication between the state and the citizen.”

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