AON CYPRUS CELEBRATES GLOBAL SERVICE DAY

ΑΟΝ Hewitt Cyprus, member of Aon plc, the leading global provider of risk management and human resource consulting and outsourcing, celebrated Global Service Day with an event that took place on Thursday, 11 June 2015 at the University of Nicosia.

In response to the European Commission’s focus on entrepreneurship education, ΑΟΝ Hewitt Cyprus aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit and potential of Cypriot youth. This is achieved through supporting the learning advancement of school teachers voluntarily participating in the “Company Programme” run by Junior Achievement Cyprus.

ΑΟΝ Hewitt Cyprus offered a 25% scholarship, which in combination with a 75% scholarship offered by the University of Nicosia, resulted in a 100% scholarship towards the University of Nicosia MBA Degree with concentration in “Entrepreneurship and Innovation”. This scholarship is awarded to Mr. Avraam Despotis, an experienced and highly dedicated teacher from the Paralimni Lyceum who participated in the Junior Achievement Cyprus Company Programme during the academic years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Mr. Despotis has stimulated the entrepreneurial spirit in dozens of students so far, and is regarded as an exemplary teacher working towards the preparation of students with skills sought after by employers today.

Philippos Mannaris, Director of ΑΟΝ Hewitt Cyprus, stressed that “Corporate Social Responsibility means taking a step forward and contributing to society’s well-being apart from what we do in our daily routine. Global Service Day, celebrated by Aon, embodies this principle”.

Dr. Nicos Peristianis, President of the Council of the University of Nicosia, highlighted the absence as well as the imperative need to establish an entrepreneurial culture in Cyprus. He stressed that this necessity encourages the University of Nicosia to strongly support initiatives such as Junior Achievement Cyprus.

Andreas Papadopoulos, Chairman of Junior Achievement Cyprus, expressed his gratitude to ΑΟΝ Hewitt Cyprus for their decision to support Junior Achievement Cyprus as a social responsibility activity in 2015; he underlined that, through this initiative, ΑΟΝ Hewitt Cyprus actively support the entrepreneurship education of high school students.

In closing, the awarded teacher, Avraam Despotis, noted that the principal benefit generated from programmes such as those run by Junior Achievement, is that they prepare students for the labour market and dispel misconceptions that students may have about “entering an ideal world” after they have graduated from school.