Eurobank launched the new era of Moving Education Forward, one of the longest running Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in Greece, during the award ceremony for 384 top performing senior high-school graduates from the Educational Regions of Attica and Central Greece. Marking the 21-year milestone for the Moving Education Forward initiative (originally known as The Great Moment for Education), the Bank is expanding its scope, further broadening the initiative under the Moving Education Forward umbrella. To this end, it is continuing its dynamic course, adapting to modern requirements through actions that strengthen scientific specialisation and the interconnection between academic knowledge, hands-on practice and the job market.
The welcoming speech during the event was delivered by the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Mr Kyriakos Pierrakakis, before the Chairman of the Eurobank Board of Directors, Mr George P. Zanias, and the Bank’s Senior Management. Eurobank’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Fokion Karavias presented the extended structure of the initiative, underlining the Bank's commitment to supporting young scientists in starting their professional careers. Considering modern trends and aiming to support young scientists in their professional development and absorption in the job market, the Bank covers the costs for setting up and running a professional postgraduate programme in Digital Transformation by the Athens University of Economics and Business, also offering some of its graduates the opportunity of being recruiting by the Bank. It also provides financial support to CollegeLink for running a platform that connects students to the job market.
The Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Mr Kyriakos Pierrakakis, noted, “I would like to congratulate Eurobank for the Moving Education Forward initiative. Today’s event is not just an award ceremony. It is encouragement and recognition of the tremendous effort made by our children, our students now. The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports supports every effort that tries to provide our young people with additional skills to face multiple future challenges. We live in an environment that is evolving rapidly, with technology as the catalyst. Most importantly, we are fully aware of our role: the Ministry of Education has a huge responsibility to work for the future. Education is the future, the lever, the means to bring Greece forward, as a stronger and more confident country, with an even stronger presence internationally.".
Eurobank’s CEO, Mr Fokion Karavias, underlined, among other things, "Eurobank has been recognising and rewarding excellence for 21 years through the Moving Education Forward initiative. The Bank is now pleased to announce it is upgrading, expanding and extending the initiative, focusing on specialisation and the interconnection with the job market. We are working with the Athens University of Economics and Business to set up a professional postgraduate programme in the area of digital transformation. At the same time, we have committed to directly recruit the 10 highest performing graduates of each year, offering them employment prospects through a transparent academic pathway. In addition, we are increasing the number of internships in our Bank, recognising that the interconnection between higher education and the job market is a weak link in the Greek economy. All our initiatives are governed by the principles of meritocracy and inclusion. Meritocracy and providing equal opportunities are their common denominator. We would like to express our thanks to the Ministries of Education and Social Cohesion for being partners in our key initiatives, as well as to the Athens University of Economics and Business and CollegeLink, both valuable partners in the new phase of the programme. And we pledge that we will keep being present with actions that create the conditions for a better future for our country and the young generation; a commitment already exhibited through supporting Moving Education Forward for the last two decades.".
Moving Education Forward in 3 pillars
- Specialisation | Eurobank provides funding for setting up and running the new Professional Postgraduate Programme in Digital Transformation by the Athens University of Economics and Business, promoting specialisation in modern methods and techniques of design, as well as implementation and management of digital transformation projects for companies and organisations. The new full-time Postgraduate Programme is addressed to 35 graduates of Greek and foreign universities per academic year and is taught in English, while participants will only need to make a small personal contribution towards their annual tuition fees. The Programme also gives the opportunity for some of the positions to be filled by Eurobank Group employees, while the Bank also offers 10 highest performing graduates the opportunity to be recruited. The new initiative underlines Eurobank's long-standing commitment to encouraging lifelong learning, which it has also supported over time with a series of other scholarships for postgraduate programmes and partnerships with universities and other institutions.
- Interconnection with the job market | Financial support for developing and operating the new mprostagiatinpaideia.gr platform, which offers young people tools for training, networking and identifying opportunities in the job market. The platform was designed and is ran by CollegeLink with Eurobank’s financial support. It is addressed to the approximately 4,000 members / award winners of Moving Education Forward over the last four years. In February, graduate students from all Greek universities will also be able to apply for participation in the new platform. Among other things, registered members will have access to information on developments in the academic community and market trends, personalised guidance by professionals and mentoring, and the possibility to locate internship opportunities, develop and cultivate non-technical soft skills, train and specialise in cutting-edge technology, with certifications from technology providers, consulting companies and academic institutions. They can also apply for Eurobank's 2-month paid Internship programme, aiming to gain valuable knowledge in a real work environment. In addition, through the platform, they will also be able to apply for internships and work placements in third-party companies that cooperate with CollegeLink.
In addition, Eurobank focuses on interconnecting entrepreneurship with university research and academic excellence through egg – enter grow go, the Bank's business accelerator, which has been supporting start-up entrepreneurship for the last 11 years. Through its partnership with 15 Greek Universities and 46 Greek and Cypriot spin-offs, egg – enter grow go has long been supporting and developing the interconnection of start-up, innovative entrepreneurship with the domestic and international academic community. - Rewards | Eurobank is running a moral and financial programme for rewarding excellence with the support of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, having granted a total of almost €21 million since 2003 to reward 22,572 overperforming students. Through the initiative, the Bank offers moral and financial rewards to the top performing graduate of each High School in Greece who achieved the highest aggregate score in the national examinations. The programme has been running for 21 years and has been embraced by all students and their families, local communities and the academic community. Emphasis is placed on inclusion, a value underpinning all the Bank's initiatives. Children living in child protection units who succeed in gaining admission to higher education will be rewarded, as well as a number of foreign students who attend Greek schools in the country and manage to enter higher education through the national examinations process.
Honorary plaques were presented by the Chairman of the Eurobank Board of Directors, Mr George P. Zanias, to the 14 Senior High Schools from which the student that overperformed with the highest cumulative access to higher education in each Regional Unit graduated.
During the event, which took place at Megaron the Athens Concert Hall and was moderated by journalist Ms Niki Lymperaki, the 384 students who overperformed from the Educational Regions of Attica and Central Greece as well as 36 overperforming students from the Aegean islands who attend Universities in Attica were awarded.
A short address was given by Ms Evita Fragkou, an award winner from 2003, which marked the first year of the Moving Education Forward initiative. Ms Fragkou, who is currently an Internist / Senior Registrar at the 1st University ICU at Evangelismos Hospital, congratulated the winners for their success and wished them a prosperous career.
More on Moving Education Forward” here.
Photo (left to right):
The Chairman of the Eurobank Board of Directors, Mr George P. Zanias
The Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Mr Kyriakos Pierrakakis
Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Group Chief Operating Officer (COO) & International Activities, Eurobank SA, Stavros Ioannou
Eurobank’s CEO, Mr Fokion Karavias