METLEN Energy & Metals

Metlen, with a strategic focus on investing in schools and youth, decided to implement the educational program “Discovering Digital Developments Through Professions.” The aim of the program was for participating students to:

- Explore various GenAI tools and understand their use, which significantly contribute to the improvement and effectiveness of work environments.
- Be informed about the multiple ways to utilize digital technologies in different professional and academic choices, providing them with a broad view of the opportunities offered by the modern digital world.
- Become familiar with the necessary skills they will need to develop in the future to prepare adequately and remain competitive in the modern digital world.

The ultimate goal of METLEN is to enhance youth entrepreneurship at the local level and to better inform young people to pursue the appropriate education that will facilitate finding employment in Greece or abroad. Through this collaboration, the Company contributes to the creation of informed and conscious young individuals regarding their academic choices and future career paths in respectable and modern job positions.

The program is aimed at middle and high school students in Greece and at Greek schools abroad who wish to broaden their horizons and discover the opportunities offered by digital technologies.

School year 2023-2024.

Metlen, continuing its support for the new generation for the fifth consecutive year, in collaboration with the organization “The Tipping Point,” implemented the program **"Discovering Digital Developments through Professions."** The program targeted 32 middle and high schools in Greece and abroad, aiming to inform students about new technological advancements prompted by the rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), the ways it is utilized in various academic and professional choices, as well as the skills they need to develop in the future to become more competitive in the job market. This standard program offers middle and high school students the opportunity to learn more about the studies or professions they wish to pursue so that they are well-prepared for the significant academic and professional decisions they will have to make.

During the implementation of the program, each school’s participation included:

- Two-hour training for the responsible teachers on new developments and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). (They explored GenAI tools, advantages, limitations, and necessary skills, and learned how to formulate targeted questions and prompts to obtain the desired information from the tools.)
  
- Live group sessions with mentors from different fields. The first introductory session introduced students to new technologies and their applications.

Additionally, 10 out of the 32 participating schools were given the opportunity to practice using digital tools while simultaneously developing digital/horizontal skills.

The main objectives of this action were for students to:

- Be trained on how to ask more targeted questions (better questions/better prompts) while developing three horizontal skills: critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
- Develop a healthy relationship with new technologies by understanding the capabilities, limitations, and qualitative differences of knowledge conveyed by machines compared to humans.
- Become familiar with the use of a GenAI tool (a generative artificial intelligence tool) and understand how artificial intelligence works.
- See in practice how humans can productively collaborate with a GenAI machine.

From 2019 to the present, Metlen, consistently contributing to the achievement of the Global Sustainable Development Goal 4, has enabled thousands of students across Greece and abroad to discover the academic and professional options available in today’s labor market.

Specifically:

- In the four previous years (school years 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-2023), a total of **12,840** students were able to engage in discussions with mentors from various fields and gain empowerment regarding their choices of studies and professions.

- During the 2023-24 school year, Metlen provided the opportunity for **2,007** students to be informed about new technological advancements prompted by the rapid development of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), the ways it is utilized in various academic and professional choices, as well as the skills they need to develop in the future to become more competitive in the job market.

Through the program, Metlen manages to:

- **Connect with the Real World of Work**: It provides students with a tangible understanding of real professional scenarios and the needs of the modern labor market.

- **Promote Autonomy in Decision-Making for the Future**: It empowers young people to make their own decisions about their future based on informed choices.

- **Enhance Awareness of Non-Traditional Professions**: Students discover careers and professional paths they had never imagined existed, thus broadening their horizons.

This particular initiative has gained significant value for Metlen, as it not only aligns with its strategic choice to invest in education and youth but also allows it to reach mentors with a meaningful role, educators who strive to expand their students' horizons, and children from every corner of Greece and abroad who genuinely wish to learn and be inspired by the opportunities that the digital age offers.