Human resources ‘the most important wealth-producing resource’, minister says

Human resources are “the most important wealth-producing resource of our economy”, according to Labour minister Yiannis Panagiotou.

Panagiotou was speaking at the Cyprus human resources development authority (HRDA)’s annual meeting with Vocational training centres, with this year’s meeting taking place as part of the “European year of skills”.

He said the development of human resources is particularly important, and that this can be done through the interconnection of the education sector with Cyprus’s labour market.

He added that the country’s human resources will be “called into play” to deal with emerging challenges in the labour market.

Additionally, he said “Cyprus bases its economic development and social cohesion on the quality and appropriate utilisation of its human resources, while the continuous upgrading of individuals’ knowledge and skills through lifelong learning activities is essential”.

He added that those lifelong learning activities should be carried out “with the aim of satisfying businesses and the economy”.

He also said his ministry has formulated an “action plan” to coincide with the European year of skills, entitled “Modern professional development for the green and digital transition”.

The action plan has already been approved by the council of ministers, and Panagiotou said it focuses “on the promotion of green, digital, quality, and safe professionalism and is based on three pillars: the development of a modern professional culture, the provision of socially targeted professional learning, and the promotion of professional specialisation and certification”.