The Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPAITE) was founded and operates in Athens since June 2002 (article 4 of Law 3027/2002, as amended by Presidential Decree 101/2013 and article 29 of Law 4186 / 2013), as the universal successor of the School of Vocational & Technical Education (SELETE). SELETE was founded by a legislative decree in 1959 (N.D. 3971/1959), in the context of the general effort of organizing and developing a system of Technical and Vocational Education in post-war Greece of the ’50s.

When SELETE was first founded, the prevailing trend in the training of Technical Vocational Education teachers was that of the “prosthetic” approach. In other words, the emphasis was mainly on pedagogical training and only a small percentage of all studies concerned technical or professional training. Later, in the 1970s, a parallel method was adopted, which provided for the coupling of pedagogy with technical and vocational education. This new perspective led to the creation of two independent Schools under SELETE:

The Pedagogical Technical School (PATES), in which the tradition of the “prosthetic” approach was maintained, and
The Higher School of Educational Technological Engineering (ASETEM), in which the “parallel” method was adopted (N.D. 789 / 31-12-70).

SELETE operated in the above form and academic organization until the end of the acad. year 2001-2002, when it was abolished and in its place was founded ASPAITE, the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, based in Athens (Law 3027/2002, Article 4 “Establishment of the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education – Abolition of S.E.L.E.T.E. »).

ASPAITE maintains a long tradition of dynamic presence in the academic field, having been established as the only institutionalized educational institution in Greece for the education and training of teachers, technicians and mainly vocational courses, intended to teach in Secondary Education.

ASPAITE participates equally with respective Schools and Institutions of the technological sector in:
“Training of executives of high quality applications, which, with their theoretical and applied scientific training
a. are a link between knowledge and application, developing the applied dimension of sciences and arts in the respective professional fields,
b. transfer, use and promote modern technology, as well as methods, practices and techniques in the field of applications “(Article 1, Law 2916/01).

ASPAITE’s mission also includes the parallel provision of technological and pedagogical education to its students, the promotion of applied research in educational technology and pedagogy, and the organization of training, retraining or specialization programs for teachers or future teachers (Article 4 of Law 3027 / 2002, as amended by Presidential Decree 101/2013 and article 29 of Law 4186/2013).

ASPAITE is housed in its privately owned building facilities in Maroussi, in an area of ​​about 200 acres. Branches of the School also operate in nine other cities in the region (Thessaloniki, Patras, Ioannina, Volos, Heraklion, Crete, Sapes, Kozani / Western Macedonia, Mytilene / North Aegean and Rhodes / South Aegean) for the implementation of pedagogical programs and specialization or training programs.