During European Vocational Skills Week 2020, Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, announced that the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) now count more than one million pledged apprenticeships, thanks to the companies, social partners and organisations involved in vocational education and training.

Since March 2020, 24 organisations from 15 different countries have joined the EAfA and created 4,078 new opportunities. All4YOU^th, a Nestlé-led initiative comprising 21 companies, recently launched its pledge to provide another 120,000 apprenticeships by 2025.

Commissioner Schmit emphasised that “one million apprenticeship opportunities is a milestone. But it is not mission accomplished. We have to keep working. We have to make sure apprenticeships remain what they truly are: the high road to employment.”

“I believe it is important to do it for society, but it’s equally important to do it for the business itself, because the youth must steer our companies in the right direction, the digital route, the sustainability route,” explained Bart Vandewaeter, Head of Corporate Communications and Government Relations at Nestlé, who also celebrated the one million milestone during the EAfA event.

New members of the EAfA expressed their excitement as they look forward to contributing to employment opportunities, the productivity of companies of all sizes and the strength of the economy. “We are excited about new opportunities for our students and training laboratories in the context of this cooperation framework,” said Orhan Yazkhan, Vocational Project Manager at TürkTraktör (TU).

Giorgos Giorgakis, Managing Director at Eurosuccess Consulting (CY), believes that in Cyprus, quality standards and labour rights are a key issue in the field of apprenticeships, and that by fostering public dialogue at national level, his organisation can help to improve the quality of apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships as an efficient bridge to jobs are not as widely known in Puglia as they should be,” stated Bernadette Gréco, Programme Officer and EURES Adviser at the Department of Labour of Regione Puglia (IT). The department has implemented several initiatives to change this, bringing the education institutions Istituti Tecnici Superiori, Your first EURES job authority and the regional authority together.

Since 2013, the EAfA has strived to increase the number and quality of apprenticeship opportunities available for young people across Europe, to support them on their career path. The renewed EAfA, launched by the Commission on 15 July 2020, calls for new commitments. While apprenticeships have the potential to reduce the skills gap, they could also help with recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to increase unemployment among young people.

If you are part of an organisation that contributes to strenghtening the supply, quality, image or mobility of apprentceships, we are happy to welcome you to the EAfA family. Members benefit from Apprenticeship Support Services, a support package offering online resources and networking opportunities, allowing you to connect, learn and take action. And of course, there are no costs connected to your membership – only advantages.

You can find out more about joining the EAfA and contributing to our mission here.