The graduates of our universities are the most powerful weapon in our effort to build a modern, digital and competitive state, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemοs Damianou said on Monday, addressing the graduation ceremony of the Cyprus University of Technology doctoral students.

Damianou noted that the graduates are "part of the evolving Cypriot research and innovation ecosystem, an ecosystem that is small but maturing, and is expanding continuously, and is ranks among the Strong Innovators of Europe".

At the same time, he stressed that the government's priority is to create the conditions and opportunities that will allow graduates to stay in the country, to create and transform innovative ideas into practical applications that have a substantial impact on the economy and society.

Referring to the CUT, the Deputy Minister said that it is a modern and efficient institution with a strong emphasis on both academic and research excellence and which "in just a few years of history has a commendable track record of growth and progress, ranking as one of the most rapidly developing university institutions, both in Europe and internationally".

He also stressed that the University is "an institution closely linked with the productive sector of the country, with a mission to supply the public and private sectors with suitably qualified human resources, which is so much needed by the local economy".

This fact, he continued, becomes even more important if we take into account the radical changes that the global labour market has been experiencing in recent years, since, according to the World Economic Forum, more than 40% of the skills that were considered necessary for employment are changing, with digital skills and so-called soft skills, such as creativity, flexibility and analytical thinking, now considered essential for finding a job in every sector.

At the same time, the Deputy Minister stressed, the horizontal shortage of skilled personnel is emerging as a major challenge for employers, both nationally and internationally, indicating that, "we are still far from the target set in the Digital Decade for Europe of at least 20 million ICT specialists by 2030".

"It is therefore clear that we need to prioritise skills and training in order to create a strong workforce, capable of keeping up with the rapid pace of technological developments and being the driving force behind the digital transition," he added.

Moreover, according to a CUT press release, in his speech, the University' Rector, Professor Panayiotis Zafiris, said that "the Cyprus University of Technology is proud of its current PhD graduates and alumni. Their achievement required not only exceptional intelligence, but also resilience, perseverance and a thirst for knowledge," he added.

On his part, the Vice-Chairman of the CUT Board, Andreas Karakatsanis, said that the ceremony "marks the reward for the great effort undertaken by our students", making special reference to the "dedication and commitment of our academics to teaching and to the design of the University's curricula".

Assuring that the CUT is moving dynamically and with extroversion towards achieving its goals, he noted that "the University is proceeding with its development plans in a structured and reasoned manner" and stressed that "the support of the state is a necessary precondition for us with a view to strengthen our privately owned facilities and fully disengage from rented buildings".

The graduation ceremony of the undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Faculty of Geotechnical Sciences and Environmental Management and the Faculty of Engineering and Technology will take place on Tuesday at Limassol Municipal Garden Theatre "Marios Tokas", in the presence of the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, Athena Michailidou.