The civil non-profit organization Odyssea and the non-profit organization SolidarityNow co-organized on 16 and 17 February at Technopolis of the City of Athens, Employment Days entitled +Ergasia, which concluded with great success.

The two-day free employment event provided a variety of professional opportunities to over 850 people who participated to empower them, but also to integrate and/or reintegrate into the Greek job market. +Ergasia aimed to provide a direct meeting point for companies and potential employees to promote diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities in employment.

Specifically, the Job Fair included:

• 20 companies participated in total, from a variety of sectors such as tourism/hospitality, supply chain, construction, facilities management, courier, customer management services, energy, and information technology.
• 2000 interviews were conducted on-site.
• 350+ people received job offers.

During the event, 4 training workshops were implemented by experts in the field to further develop the horizontal skills and work readiness of the participants. The workshops implemented were as follows: 1) “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Workplace”, by SolidarityNow, 2) ” Creation of a LinkedIn profile”, by Sotiris Koutsouradis, 3) “Accessibility at the Workplace”, by Niki Daliana, and 4) “Career Change Guide”, by Haroula Roufa.

Qualitative data from employment days +Ergasia 

SolidarityNow and Odyssea jointly recognize the fundamental right of all people to employment, regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion or other beliefs, disability or chronic illness, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender characteristics.

In this context, participants were given the opportunity during the +Ergasia job days to learn the needs of the jobs, but also the skills required for an interview process. At the same time, candidates were able to network with leading employers and learn about job market developments and future job trends.

The participants shared their enthusiasm for the event and its importance in their lives. In particular, Zakreias, a beneficiary of Odyssea, said “I know about Odyssea through the classes I am currently attending. The Job Fair is a very important initiative as it allows us to meet so many companies in person”. Remarkable is also what Theresa, a beneficiary of Odyssea, said, who commented “I believe that today will help me in the job search process”.  

In the same spirit, Alexander “I knew that if I came here, I would be helped, because I know the work of SolidarityNow’s Employment Service and I didn’t miss out. Next week I have an appointment at the offices of the information technology company I met here, and I am expecting the job offer”. “I learned a lot more about the interview process here, I did four in an hour, and I made it!” Aza from Cameroon, beneficiary of SolidarityNow, said proudly.

The companies at +Ergasia

The Four Seasons representative noted “Our company employs over 47 nationalities and inclusion is one of our key pillars. We have seen many candidates eager to work. For us, this is one of the key assets a person can have!” 

The representatives of Manifest also spoke about diversity and the non-existent discrimination: “Just a while ago we interviewed a candidate who had the right CV, and we immediately referred him to the manager at our headquarters, where he was offered a job. He will officially start work next week! For us, there is no prejudice of any kind and that is why we actively support initiatives like +Ergasia.”

Visit of the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum, responsible for Integration, Vulnerable Citizens and Unaccompanied Minors, Ms Sofia Voultepsi

The Employment Days were honored with the visit of Ms. Sofia Voultepsi, where she spoke with representatives of companies about the needs of the job market, as well as the needs and opportunities for upgrading skills and retraining of job seekers. “Education and work are the epitome of inclusion. Success is always based on our close collaboration with Civil Society Organisations, which in turn rely on political will, that in my part is expressed most concretely. Congratulations, keep up the good work,” declared the Deputy Minister.

The companies that participated at +Ergasia:

• Corinth Pipeworks
• DOMES
• Doryssa Hotels
• Empiria Group
• Eneres CPM 
• Four Seasons
• Intelecta
• Lidl
• Manifest
• Newrest Catering
• PepsiCo
• Regency Casino Mont Parnes
• Skroutz 
• Skywalker
• Teleperformance
• Uni Systems
• Valsamidis SA
• Ηπειρώτικη Ζύμη
• ΙΕΚ ΑΚΜΗ