On 24 and 25 March 2022, the European Commission organised the joint hybrid EAfA event ‘The voice of apprentices in the European Year of Youth 2022’. The event was organised together with the Directorate General for Vocational Education of the Regional Government of Catalonia, Fundación Bertelsmann, and the European Apprentices Network.

© European Commission

The two-day event gathered around 150 participants on-site and online, and it received over 400 views online. Experts and guest speakers from across Europe discussed the role of apprentices’ representation in national and regional structures, showcased good practice examples and discussed how apprenticeships can be made more attractive to young people. The event was moderated by Matthäus Fandrejewski, President of CESI-Youth, the youth branch of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions and member of the European Apprentices Networks. 

Session 1: European Year of Youth

The first panel discussion was moderated by Chiara Riondino from the European Commission and focused on the European Year of Youth. The session had the following speakers:

• Caridad Alarcon Sanchez, Board Member of OBESSU;
• Markus Wright, Chairperson for STTK-students, committee member of ETUC Youth, and member of the European Apprentices Network;
• Michael Teutsch, Head of Unit for Schools and Multilingualism; Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture; the European Commission.

During the session, Caridad Alarcon Sanchez argued that apprentices had a difficult time pursuing their studies during the pandemic, and EAfA members should continue to fight for their rights, as apprentices are also part of the educational system.

Michael Teutsch highlighted that in the post-pandemic crisis, it is very important that young people receive the right education and skills to achieve financial security and wellbeing. He added that one of the key objectives of the European Year of Youth is to boost young people’s personal, social and professional development, which is also in line with the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027.

Teutsch gave an overview of several EU initiatives that aim to improve the quality and inclusiveness of Member States’ education systems:

• European Education Area;
• Digital Education Action Plan and the European Digital Education Hub;
• Pathways to School Success.

He also presented the Erasmus+ programme and its many opportunities for vocational education and training (VET) learners.

Markus Wright highlighted the importance of apprenticeships in helping young people to find their way in society and the need for quality apprenticeships.

Session 2: Dual VET – the Spanish case

The second session was moderated by Maria Pascual from the Directorate-General for VET of the Regional Government of Catalonia. It included the following speakers:

• Clara Sanz, IVET Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education in Spain;
• Ignacio de Benito, Senior Project Manager at Fundación Bertelsmann;
• José A. Andrés Villena, Deputy Director at the Directorate-General for VET of the Regional Government of Catalonia;
• Ricard Bellera Kirchhoff, representative of Catalan social partners (CCOO, Foment and Pimec UGT).

Ignacio de Benito presented the apprentices network Somos FP dual, its main achievements so far, and future activities. José A. Andrés Villena talked about, among other things, the role of competent institutions in the dual system, the Catalan Dual Resolution, and pedagogical support for company mentors. And lastly, Ricard Bellera Kirchhoff touched upon the important role of social partners and social dialogue in improving the legal framework of VET in Spain and Catalonia. 

Session 3: Representation of apprentices – the national dimension

The third session was moderated by Ann Vanden Bulcke from the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the European Commission. In this session, representatives of apprentices’ organisations from five countries presented the important work that they are doing in their countries:

• Baptiste Bouyer, National Association for French Apprentices, France;
• Melissa Luck, dbb Jugend, Germany;
• Scott Kelly, National Society of Apprentices, UK;
• Trine Kjeldsen Johannsen, EEO, Denmark;
• Uliana Musakina, SAKKI ry, Finland.

Welcoming new EAfA members

After the three sessions, Norbert Schöbel from the European Commission welcomed the 14 new members that have joined EAfA (photo above). The newcomers cover a total of 18 countries and together they aim to create over 660 apprenticeship places.

Breakout sessions

Participants were then free to join one of the four parallel sessions, which covered the following topics:

• The voice of apprentices: a new strategic approach;
• Challenges in supply and quality of apprenticeships and how to tackle them;
• Embedding the voice of apprentices in decision-making;
• Making apprenticeships more attractive for youth.

After the breakout sessions, everyone got back together to present the main findings of their groups.

Good practices across Europe involving apprentices 

In this session, moderated by Guillem Salvans from Fundación Bertelsmann, five guest speakers presented good practice examples of involving apprentices:

• Arja Krauchenberg, Lifelong Learning Platform, Austria;
• Joan Carles Ballesté Coma, INS Escola del Treball, Lleida;
• Joan Daniel Subirats Armengol, INS Comte de Rius, Spain;
• Michael Fitzgerald, ESB Networks, Ireland;
• Recep Atar, Hak-Is Trade Union Confederation, Turkey.

On-site visits

On the second day of the event, on-site participants could choose to visit one of two VET institutes: Escola del Treball or Institut Bonanova. This offered a valuable opportunity for exchanges with local VET providers.

Watch the livestream recordings on YouTube:

Morning sessions: English | Spanish | Catalan

Afternoon sessions: English | Spanish | Catalan

Download the full event report, background paper and inspiration note from the 'Related documents' section below. Browse through the images from the high-level event.