Realising the potential of work-based learning schemes as a driver of productivity requires careful design and support. The length of work-based learning schemes should be adapted to the profile of productivity gains. A scheme that is too long for a given skill set might be unattractive for learners and waste public resources, but a scheme that is too short will fail to attract employer interest. Ensuring that the design of work-based learning schemes balances the interests of both employer and trainee is key to successful implementation. Carefully organising what trainees do while in the workplace and integrating learning into productive work can yield higher benefits for firms, while maintaining the quality of learning. Strengthening capacity within firms to effectively manage work-based learning can help achieve this. Enhancing that capacity, for example through training for trainee supervisors can help employers reap more benefits from work-based learning schemes while meeting quality requirements.

This paper aims to inform policy makers and practitioners, including firms delivering work-based learning and education and training institutions, about how to design and manage effective work-based learning. It explores the issues linking work-based learning and productivity through analysis of the underlying factors driving the use of work-based learning, and setting out a framework that identifies policy pointers. It draws on various strands of the literature, in particular the economics of apprenticeships and empirical research exploring how productivity evolves during training and apprenticeships.

DOI: 10.1787/5jlz6rbns1g1-en