On 15 July 2020, participants from across the EU dialled in remotely to take part in a High Level Expert Live Discussion on the renewed European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA).

© European Commission

Hosted by Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, the event took place on World Skills Day 2020, and marked the launch of a renewed EAfA.

Schmit was joined by Anja Karliczek, Germany’s Federal Minister for Education and Research and Hubertus Heil, Germany’s Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs. Together, they emphasised the commitment of the newly formed German Council Presidency towards supporting provision of vocational education and training (VET) such as apprenticeships. They also stressed the need to expand the availability of digital education and training in order to make VET more accessible and widespread.

The session also include a series of live panel discussions moderated by Andrew McCoshan. Each of these sessions explored what the renewed EAfA means from the perspective of different stakeholder groups. These sessions discussed:

• The role of businesses and apprentices
• The role of regions, chambers and VET providers
• The role of social partners

This marked the third in a series of EAfA Live Discussions. The next Live Discussion topic will be announced soon and will take place in August 2020.

Watch a recording of the event here.

Download the event report and find out all about the six key objectives of the renewed EAfA via the related documents section below.