The President & CEO of Ergocert, Mr. Spyros Liakos, participated as a speaker at the event «Technical Professions, Engineers & New Markets in Western Macedonia: Networking, Skills & Opportunities in the Era of Transition» organized on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 in Kozani by METAVASI S.A. and the Kozani Skills & Employment Development Center, in collaboration with the TEE/Department of Western Macedonia, the Kozani Chamber of Commerce and Industry and CluBE.
The event, with the participation of representatives from institutional bodies, the academic community and businesses, aimed to inform the technical professionals sector about the changes taking place due to the transformation of the region's production model and the energy transition. The presentations covered thematic areas such as:
- the market needs in technical specialties and the skills required by the new energy and digital economy
- technical competence, the regulatory framework of technical professions and the certification of professional qualifications
- new development opportunities such as electromobility, renewable energy, automation and modern energy systems
- extroversion and connecting local businesses with new technologies and markets
Regulatory framework for technical professions and professional qualification certifications
Mr. Liakos' presentation focused on the regulatory framework of technical professions and the importance of certification of professional qualifications, particularly in this critical period of transition for Western Macedonia.
In this environment of change and transformation, technical professionals assume a particularly critical role, as they are not simply task performers but the people who will install, maintain, control and support the new technical infrastructure in practice. They are critical factors in the design, implementation, safety, and compliance of projects with regulatory and quality requirements.
The local market should have people and businesses that can meet the new technical requirements, professionals with legal practice, real experience, up-to-date skills and the ability to document their competence and with knowledge of quality and safety requirements.
Regulatory framework & certification of professional qualifications according to ISO 17024
Mr. Liakos referred to Law No. 3982/2011 as the basic framework for the licensing of technical professional activities, as well as to the Unified Register of Persons, which, as recently reported by the Secretary General of Industry of the Ministry of Development, will be upgraded with the expansion of the Integrated Regional Administration Information System (O.P.S.P.A.) through the Recovery Fund, with the aim of gradually covering all technical professions of Law No. 3982/2011.
At the same time, reference was made to the issue of certification of professional qualifications according to the ISO 17024 standard. ISO 17024 can act as a bridge with recognized specifications, offering official documentation of skills and strengthening the international recognition of professional qualifications, creating new professional prospects.
The certification of persons according to ISO 17024 is a powerful tool for harmonization with European standards and provides the professional with the opportunity to prove his/her competence in a very specific subject/activity. When the certification of professional qualifications is carried out by an accredited body, it acquires even greater credibility and prestige, as the body carrying out the certification meets proven criteria of impartiality, good governance, has specialized personnel and know-how, so that it can objectively and validly certify professional qualifications in each subject/skill.
At the same time, an important point that often causes confusion in the market was clarified and concerns the license to practice, the certification and the experience of the technical professional. As Mr. Liakos stated characteristically:
"Personal certification does not replace a license to practice a profession, when the license is required by law. Accredited personal certification should not be applied indiscriminately to every subject, especially when the state, for reasons of public interest, health, safety, environment or property protection, has already regulated by law the conditions for the exercise of specific professional activities.
Therefore, in practice, the correct relationship is complementary and not competitive. The license creates the professional right. The certification of a person documents a specific technical ability. Experience proves friction with the object. The standard defines the framework of good practice. The inspection evaluates whether something was implemented correctly, the certification documents the relevant compliance. And all of this together today shapes the modern real technical competence in the market."
The event highlighted the need to continue similar initiatives for professionals and students of the sectors in the region, as well as the possibility of forming new partnerships that will more directly connect the market with education, certification, technical specialization and the development prospects of Western Macedonia.
