Apprenticeships, Upskilling and Reskilling – Could be used not only for adults in employment but also to support labour market transitions between jobs and sectors and alleviate skill mismatches

In October 2022, Cedefop organised the fourth policy learning forum (PLF) on apprenticeships, engaging all EU-27 countries, with a tripartite composition, including representatives of governments and social partners from each Member State.The focus and scope of the policy forum was on regulatory frameworks, policies and practices in the Member States regarding the role and use of upskilling and reskilling of low-skilled adults.

Concluding panel

The event concluded with a panel where representatives of the European social partners, the European Commission and Cedefop exchanged their views about how apprenticeship can be a quality and sustainable opportunity for low-skilled adults, including in relation to the twin transitions.

Agnes Roman (ETUC) suggested that the discussion on apprenticeship for adults should focus on the final qualification to be achieved, i.e. in IVET or not, instead of using the age criterion, and consider the specific national contexts. In any case, she clarified that the quality criteria of the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships should apply to both, the young and adults. Ms Roman stressed the importance of creating the conditions to guarantee equitable access to employee quality training, including apprenticeship, no matter the company size, contractual relationship, geographical differences, or workers’ individual characteristics (with particular attention to gender). Of equal importance, talking about requalification of adults, is the possibility to access validation, guidance and information, in countries with sustainable public investment for their training systems. She underlined that the impact of the upcoming economic crisis may reduce companies’ training expenditure and warned that this may also occur along with decreasing levels of social dialogue and unionisation. Ms Roman reflected on the role of apprenticeship for adults in the context of 2023 being the Year of Skills: the European trade unions welcome this initiative but they call for more attention to the implementation of the Upskilling Pathways Recommendation, which is essential to tackling poverty and inequality. In the Year of Skills, a discussion about skill shortages and skill mismatch should also take place, but considering the presence of decent jobs and quality working conditions. Attention should also focus more on opening up labour markets to migrants and refugees, but this should happen by avoiding social dumping. Trade unions record that low-skilled people have less access to training, with their skills deteriorating while technology is still developing. The main point is to guarantee and reinforce the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights concerning job creation and access to quality training. She concluded with a remark on the importance of including social partners in countries’ national upskilling strategies.

Robert Plummer (BusinessEurope) framed his discussion recalling the current difficult economic times, characterised by pronounced labour and skill shortages in all Member States and in all economic activities. He acknowledged the increasing use of apprenticeship to up- and reskill adults, including in the context of the green and digital transitions. Apprenticeship could be used not only for adults in employment but also to support labour market transitions between jobs and sectors, to alleviate skill mismatches. For low-skilled people, it is critical to increase the share of time spent at the workplace, focusing on the practical, hands-on element of the training in a company, which has a long- lasting impact on workers and employers. For this specific target group – but also for adults in general – it is critical to focus on the low level of their digital skills to ensure that they are not left behind in the digital transition. Mr Plummer stressed the importance of active labour market policies and individual and targeted support, including in the form of guidance, to identify the best apprenticeship opportunity provided by public employment services for the sustainable integration of the unemployed into work. He underlined the importance of more interaction, cooperation and collaboration between public and private employment services, so that training may be structured to respond better to labour market needs. There is clearly a role here for some EU funding and programmes, especially the ESF+. In this respect, it is crucial to engage national, regional and local actors, including social partners. Companies’ role in engaging adults outside the job market through apprenticeship is still an unexplored area. What is important is to remember that apprenticeship is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and that there are still issues of image and attractiveness of apprenticeships that would need to be addressed also in relation to adults, both employed and unemployed, high- and low-skilled.
Tamas Varnai (DG Employment) acknowledged the new development of adults’ participation in apprenticeship and the potential of this option for their upskilling and reskilling, including in the context of the green and digital transition, by adapting them to their specific needs. He offered a reflection on the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships as a point of reference for adults as well. The first paragraph acknowledges indeed that ‘quality and effective apprenticeships […] facilitate young people’s entry in the labour market, as well as adults’ career progression and transition into employment’. All the EFQEA criteria are indeed valid for both IVET and CVET but there are some nuances: when we talk about implementation, there are differences to be considered, as some criteria may have slightly different relevance for adults. For example, the distribution of the time between school and workplace, which might be higher for adults; the criterion of pay or compensation: for adult apprentices, compensation would not be sufficient, while they would need to receive a proper wage. Another example is the criterion of social security, which, for example in the case of refugees, is even more important. The criterion of flexible pathways and the recognition of prior learning is also very important for adults, while it may be less so for young people. Finally, the criterion of international mobility has a different impact on the young and adults, considering that the related challenges are different. Mr Varnai added that next year, 5 years since the adoption of the EFQEA, the Commission is thinking of organising an event to take stock of the implementation of the framework. He concluded with a reflection on what the Commission can do to tap into the potential of apprenticeship for adults, by mentioning the European Alliance for Apprenticeship, which has already addressed this topic on different occasions, and the Pact for Skills and the Year of Skills as opportunities to promote apprenticeship for adults as an pathway for their upskilling and reskilling.

Source: Fourth Policy learning forum (PLF) on apprenticeships | CEDEFOP