Raising a glass to sustainability in the spirits industry
Fact: Yianna Christou explains how beverage companies are embracing ESG principles in their marketing strategies to enhance brand reputation and foster consumer loyalty.
inclusivity
Deaf dreams to digital realities
Fact: Two brothers, George Geratziotis and Dr Alexandros Geratziotis, developed an app called Connect Deaf to bridge the communication gap for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
XM tops island, ’s list of ‘Best Workplaces™ for Women’
XM has been recognized as the top workplace for women in Cyprus by Great Place To Work® Cyprus. They have achieved this distinction by offering equal opportunities for training, development, and advancement to all team members, as well as implementing targeted empowerment initiatives for female employees. The percentage of women in mid-level and senior management positions at XM is 40%, while in managerial positions it is 25%.
Cultivating a modern, inclusive education system
– The education minister, Dr. Athena Michaelidou, aims to make schools more inclusive and wants public universities to offer courses in English.
– Michaelidou has prioritized modernizing and making both public and private schools contemporary and inclusive since her appointment nearly a year ago.
– Amendments to legislation are being considered to improve the operation of private schools and strengthen their control mechanisms.
– Consultations are ongoing for regulations on the admission of final-year private school students to public universities and for providing textbooks and participation in competitions and teacher training programs for private schools.
– Michaelidou has addressed the introduction of undergraduate programs in English at Cyprus’ public universities, which currently offer postgraduate programs in English.
– Regulations need to be approved by the House of Representatives for the University of Cyprus and Cyprus University of Technology to offer undergraduate programs in foreign languages.
– The interior ministry has submitted draft regulations for this purpose, which were discussed but not approved by the education committee.
– Michaelidou’s office is working on implementing changes for the new school year, including updating educational material, improving special education towards inclusivity, promoting digital skills, and upgrading technical and vocational education.
– A National Graduate Tracking Mechanism and an Employers’ Skills Survey are being implemented as part of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan to address the disparity between skills provided to pupils and labor market demands.
– The ministry plans to expand free pre-primary education to children aged four years and older, starting from the academic school year 2024-2025, as part of the National Recovery and Resiliency Plan.