On 21 January, the Network Cities for Apprenticeship (Cities4Appren) held an online meeting on the topic ‘Routes to recovery and resilience. New strategies for skills and employment, and the role of cities and metropolitan cities’.

The event allowed participants to exchange ideas on how cities and the European Commission can work together to create a Recovery and Resilience Facility for apprenticeships and skills development.

During the discussion, participants agreed that skills are essential for an inclusive and fair economic recovery. They also highlighted that apprentices are a vital part of the skills pipeline, which is necessary for economic recovery.

Event participants argued that transformative and equitable recovery starts in the response phase, and it is critical to understand the local ecosystem and how its different elements affect each other. In these dynamic and unpredictable times, cities play an important role in establishing the structures and processes to move out of emergency response mode.

Watch the recording.

In the next Cities4Appren meeting in March, cities will be invited to share ideas, concrete proposals, and recommendations to create a document, which will be presented at the joint event of the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions in June. You can join the event by filling out this form.

Cities4Appren is led by the Metropolitan City of Rome, with support from the European Commission within the framework of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA). The initiative aims to promote and strengthen the role of cities and metropolitan authorities in supporting work-based learning and their commitment to reaching the objectives of the Alliance.