The economic crisis has hit young people particularly hard and more young people face increasing difficulties in setting their foothold into the labour market. Against this context, there is a broad consensus today among policy-makers, social partners and experts that apprenticeships can be an efficient solution to some of the present labour market imbalances and benefit both learners and employers.
By combining study and work, apprenticeships and work-based learning (WBL) can offer them an opportunity to acquire work experience while enhancing skills in close alignment with employer requirements. Because of their inherent relevance for the labour market, apprenticeships and work-based learning can help to reduce skills mismatch and ease transition from education to work.
Promoting alternate learning and work has been one of the key policy tools of the European policy agenda for youth employment from the Bruges Communiqué (7 December 2010) through the Council recommendation on establishing a Youth guarantee (22 April 2013) to the Council Declaration on the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (15 October 2013).
Cedefop supports the European alliance for apprenticeships (EAfA) through a range of complementary activities aimed at assessing the potential of apprenticeship and work-based learning (WBL) in different contexts. It supports Member States, social partners and other vocational education and training (VET) stakeholders in developing quality apprenticeships.*
The articles available here were prepared by ReferNet national partners in 2014.
- Apprenticeship-type schemes and structured work-based learning programmes – Portugal download
- Country overviews on Apprenticeship-type schemes and structured work-based learning programmes by country access here
This thematic is part of other Cedefop’s activities related with apprenticeship.
To search for publications on this theme access here
* Source: partial information of ReferNet’s circular note 2014_05