The European Alliance for Apprenticeships Awards 2019 The fourth European Vocational Skills Week will take place in Helsinki, Finland 14-18 October 2019. © APLA PROD/Shutterstock.com The Week aims to inspire people to discover and improve their talents through vocational education and training (VET) as well as to encourage more people to participate and learn what it has to offer. VET excellence can be showcased by recognising committed people, organisations and outstanding projects. The awards during the previous European Vocational Skills Weeks were one of the real highlights. European Vocational Skills Week 2019 will once again include a Nominees Awards Celebration event. The event will be held in Helsinki on 17 October in the presence of Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility. The European Alliance for Apprenticeships Awards aim to identify excellence regarding the supply, quality, image and mobility of apprenticeships. There are two subcategories of awards: Companies One large company One small or medium sized enterprise Apprentices Last year, the large companies award winner was ESB Networks DAC, the operator of the Irish electricity distribution system. The apprentice winner for EAfA went to Domenico Calabrese, an apprentice electrician from Italy. Nominations of candidates for the EAfA awards must be submitted on 5 July 2019 at the latest. For more information, visit the European Vocational Skills Week 2019 website. The EAfA award is only open to members of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships. Anybody with an interest in apprenticeships can recommend candidates in any of the two categories. Join the conversation on social media by using #EUVocationalSkills or #DiscoverYourTalent.