ADAPT is a non-profit organisation founded in 2000 by Prof. Marco Biagi with the aim of promoting studies and research in the field of labour law and industrial relations from an international and comparative perspective. In 2007 ADAPT created the School of Higher Education in Labour and Industrial Relations, which is internationally accredited as a centre of excellence for research, study and training in the field of labour and industrial relations. Since then, the ADAPT School of Higher Education has promoted 3 Doctoral Schools based in Bergamo (from 2010-ongoing), Bari (from 2010 to 2013) and Modena (from 2007 to 2010) through which ADAPT trained 222 PhD students, 90 of whom have been placed in apprenticeships in national and multi-national companies, which are partners of ADAPT around Italy and Europe. Thus, in the past ten years, ADAPT developed expertise in activating apprenticeship contracts for higher education programs in Italy, like doctoral programs and master programs and it is nowadays recognized as the most important promoter of apprenticeships schemes for higher education and research purposes and innovative PhD programs.

ADAPT aims to:

• Promote apprenticeship contracts for higher education programs in Italy and abroad, like doctoral programs and master’s degrees, in collaboration with companies, employers associations, trade unions, and institutions.
• Increase awareness of value and benefits of apprenticeships among companies, employers’ associations, trade unions, and institutions through publications, conferences and training sessions.
• Provide training, information and technical assistance on apprenticeships through conferences, seminars, and counselling activities.

•  Collect and share collective bargaining / agreements on apprenticeships, implementing its open source database www.fareapprendistato.it.

In addition to the formal partners of ADAPT (here the full list: http://moodle.adaptland.it/course/view.php?id=208) ADAPT intends to involve new organizations among which there are companies, trade unions, employer associations, institutions, at both national and international level.