New EAfA toolkit on digital skills in apprenticeships now available!

Why digital skills in apprenticeships? 

The digital and green transition is accelerating change in the labour market, making digital skills increasingly essential for success. However, only about half of EU citizens possess the basic digital knowledge needed to succeed in a digitised labour market. 

The EU has been proactive in addressing the challenges posed by digitalisation. Through initiatives such as Europe's Digital Decade Framework, the Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027), and the European Skills Agenda, the EU has implemented policies and strategies to promote digital skills and competencies. Additionally, EU funding programmes provide valuable resources to help education and training systems, companies, and citizens adapt to the rapidly evolving labour market. 

In this context, examining apprenticeships and their role in supporting the digital transformation can be significant. Mainstreaming digital skills as part of work-based learning offers numerous benefits, including: 

• enabling companies and vocational education and training (VET) providers to align labour market and educational needs while fostering innovation; 
• enhancing apprentices’ employability; 
• improving the image, attractiveness, and quality of apprenticeships by emphasising their role in training a digitally proficient future workforce. 

Nonetheless, to achieve these benefits, VET providers and companies must assess their own digital requirements and design training pathways that leverage digital learning technologies. The EAfA toolkit on digital skills in apprenticeships helps companies and VET providers to create more opportunities for digitalised apprenticeships. 

What does the toolkit on digital skills include?  

The new EAfA toolkit provides practical advice, examples and self-assessment tools for VET providers and companies to integrate digital skills in apprenticeships. It offers step-by-step guidance for each stage, including: 

• Planning and assessing digital skills to identify digital skills needs and shape learning pathways accordingly. 
• Building internal capacity for digital skills to ensure trainers and apprentices have access to digital tools and equipment. 
• Designing and implementing programmes to select relevant technologies and tools, design apprenticeship programmes, and ensure digital skills recognition. 

The toolkit was introduced during the EAfA webinar: Integrating Digital Skills in Apprenticeships – Introducing the new EAfA Toolkit, held on 4 December, which welcomed 134 participants. The webinar explored how apprenticeships can drive the digital transformation and address the challenges of digitalisation. It also highlighted the advantages of transitioning to digital tools for managing apprenticeships for VET providers and companies. Watch the recording of the webinar here.

How to access the toolkit?  

You can access the EAfA toolkit on digital skills in apprenticeships online on our dedicated EAfA toolkits webpage. The toolkit is also available to download below as a PDF.