Promoting apprenticeships to empower learners: EAfA 2024 highlights

Reinforcing Europe’s apprenticeship landscape 

With almost 50 new members joining EAfA, 41 countries represented, and more than 3 million apprenticeship opportunities offered by member organisations, EAfA really made an impact in 2024 by helping to strengthen the apprenticeship landscape across Europe. 

Plus, EAfA has continued its support for cooperation between governments, businesses, and education providers to boost the quality of apprenticeships, acting as a crucial space for collaboration, exchange of good practices and mutual learning. 

Throughout 2024, the EAfA Communities provided a useful member-led platform for stakeholders to identify joint actions, share best practices and build new partnerships. For example, the EAfA Communities kicked off an important discussion on the future of apprenticeships and their role in shaping a modern and competitive workforce. 

Furthermore, the EAfA Community on the Green and Digital Transition has made significant progress in exploring the link between apprenticeships and the twin transition.They have developed a repository of best practices and tools and identified a number of key green and digital skills from the perspective of companies, VET providers, and industry representatives. Moving forward, the  Community will be working on organising events and activities to promote the effective integration of these skills into education and training systems. 

Are you interested in joining the EAfA Communities? Find more information here. 

Promoting the EAfA community through our EAfA Champions 

Continuing the EAfA Champions programme, which started in 2023, a new group of active members was selected to join in 2024 to help strengthen the community by sharing the benefits of being part of the Alliance. 

In their role as EAfA Champions, these members had the opportunity to take part in last year’s EAfA high-level event where they presented their organisations and talked about the positive impacts that being part of EAfA has had on their work. These benefits include more opportunities for networking, building partnerships, increased exposure to good practices and increasing their visibility as apprenticeship providers. 

Learn more about our EAfA Champions. 

Knowledge sharing for better quality apprenticeships 

In its ongoing efforts to promote knowledge sharing, EAfA has kept offering engaging and informational opportunities for its members and the broader community of stakeholders to improve their knowledge and understanding of quality apprenticeships. 

These resources covered how apprenticeships contribute to green and digital transformation and the role they play in the tourism and hospitality sector, the importance of transversal skills through work-based learning, information on supporting SMEs to offer apprenticeships placements and how to raise awareness about apprenticeships. 

Moreover, the European Apprentices Network (EAN) launched a survey to collect data on apprentices' mental health and well-being. 

The results highlighted the added value that work-based learning brings in helping young people to develop their skills. However, it also revealed that providing mental health support to apprentices is increasingly becoming an important element of delivering quality apprenticeships. 

By generating knowledge and  promoting a shared understanding of key issues, the EAfA encourages its members to collaborate on solutions to common challenges. It also highlights the vital role apprenticeships play in closing skills gaps and helping learners succeed in a fast-changing labour market. 

If you missed any of these activities, you can find out more by exploring the EAfA’s news section.  

Bringing people together 

In 2024, EAfA organised one hybrid high-level event and one in-person event. The high-level event, which took place in Brussels on 17 and 18 June, brought together stakeholders from across Europe, with 150 on-site and over 60 online participants. The event provided a space to discuss how apprenticeships can help tackle labour and skills shortages, including by supporting young people to access quality opportunities to enter the labour market and opening up new career opportunities for learners of all ages. 

Former Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicholas Schmit also attended the event and stressed the importance of apprenticeships as a strategic solution to bridging current skills gaps and ensuring a sustainable/competitive workforce for the future. 

Another highlight for the year was the ninth seminar for EAfA partner countries, organised by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission and the European Training Foundation (ETF). Held in Albania on 17 and 18 October, the event saw an enthusiastic turnout of 80 on-site participants coming from 27 countries. 

They had the chance to speak directly to experts, sharing ideas on how to develop and implement apprenticeship systems in EU Member States and Partner Countries, with a focus on adult learners and apprentices' assessment. The seminar was complemented by three site visits in Tirana offering a closer look at how local schools, companies, managers, trainers and learners collaborate to deliver effective apprenticeship programmes. 

More to come in 2025!  

The EAfA is heading into 2025 with more activities, events, and tools planned for yet another exciting year promoting quality apprenticeships, as outlined in our recently published Action Plan. 

If you are not an EAfA member already, join the Alliance today and do not forget to follow the Alliance on LinkedIn to keep up to date with EAfA news and share your ideas with a community of over 4000 organisations engaged in apprenticeships!