A European quality framework for apprenticeships
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Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.
Workers' organizations
Learning new skills and upgrading existing ones help workers maintain their employability and improve their standard of living. Trade unions play a key role in increasing workplace-based training opportunities. The Global KSP shares, among other resource items, case studies, good practices and research provided by trade unions that highlight their involvement in promoting training at individual workplaces, social dialogue and collective bargaining on skills issues, and participating in developing skills policies and strengthening training institutions.
Case studies and good practices
Case studies that document good practices and illustrate the benefits and lessons learnt of particular approaches or methods in real practice.
National policies and initiatives
National legislation, policies and initiatives on the issue of training and skills development and the world of work.
Twenty quality standards for apprenticeships are proposed by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Unionlearn (TUC) in their new publication “A European Quality Framework for Apprenticeships – a European Trade Union Proposal”.
Despite increased interest by policy-makers in apprenticeships as a means to combat youth unemployment, apprenticeships have been in decline in recent years (and even more so since the 1980s).
As part of its contribution to EU policy to boost quality skilled jobs, the ETUC, with national trade unions from across Europe, has drawn up the report setting out 20 quality standards. It is inspired by existing quality apprenticeship schemes across Europe and based on good practice at national and sectoral level.
According to these criteria apprenticeship schemes should:
• be formalised by national law and/or collective bargaining agreements;
• be governed and assessed by social partners (trade unions and employers) together with public authorities and training institutions;
• cover a wide range of occupations and provide employment opportunities for women and men;
• be properly funded with equitable cost-sharing between employers and public authorities;
• involve a formal contract and ensure apprentices are paid;
• include a strong training component and a balance between work-based and school-based training;
• promote mobility through including provision for doing part of the apprenticeship in another European country (like ‘Erasmus’ does for university students).
Countries covered in the proposal: Belgium, Bulgaria; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; France; Germany; Greece; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Poland; Romania; Slovenia; Spain; and, United Kingdom
Europe and Central Asia
