The topic of financing apprenticeships is of critical importance. Securing a suitable level of funding and ensuring appropriate cost-sharing between the different actors involved (notably employers, social partners, public authorities and apprentices) is one of the key determinants of the successful implementation of quality and effective apprenticeships.

The new EU budget allocates additional resources for short and medium-term investments in apprenticeships and VET, through a number of funding sources:

• European Social Fund (ESF+)
• The European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF)
• Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)
• Erasmus+
• Technical Support Instruments (TSI)
• InvestEU.

Making the most out of these funding opportunities is fundamental to minimising the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on EU citizens and young people in particular. The EAfA aims to facilitate this outcome in the context of the new priorities set in the European Youth Employment Support Package approved last summer. Its second priority calls for incentivising support to SMEs in providing a stable supply of quality and effective apprenticeships. This will be achieved by enabling better training of teachers and trainers in VET, through investments in inter-company training centres, from direct subsidies for apprentices in SMEs including remuneration and much more.

Throughout this webinar, speakers explored the different financing schemes available for apprenticeships in the EU, models for apprentice remuneration and support for apprentices and some of the specific measures put in place during the COVID-19 crisis.

The webinar was led by Patrycja Lipińska, expert at the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, and Jörg Markowitsch, senior partner at 3s Research & Consulting.

Watch the webinar recording.