On 3 and 4 June, the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) held the high-level conference ‘The role of regions and cities in delivering high-quality apprenticeships for all’. The event brought together more than 35 speakers to discuss how apprenticeships can be an instrument of social inclusion, what the main barriers are, as well as good practices. The conference featured keynote speeches by Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, and Anne Karjalainen, Chair of the Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC).

Local and regional authorities play a triple role in increasing the supply of apprenticeships: they are employers, authorities responsible for VET, as well as catalysts encouraging employers to take on apprentices. As Commissioner Schmit said:

“Our ability to adapt to changes will determine our future. To adapt we need skills and local and regional authorities have a huge responsibility as they are closer to the needs of people and of companies, especially SMEs, and therefore play a decisive role to make new opportunities out of those changes.”

In the meantime, the pandemic has posed an unprecedented number of challenges, such as the digital and green transitions, migration, and youth unemployment. As Anne Karjalainen stated:

“The biggest challenge we are faced with is to match the acquisition of new skills with the catalytic changes happening around us. When addressing the main challenges in work and employment, European policymakers must first meet these challenges locally if they are then to be met at the European level.”

To address the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and provide concrete answers to short- and long-term needs, the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) mobilises local and regional authorities as catalysts for apprenticeships within the local business environment. Ultimately, through EAfA’s activities, regions and cities will be able to learn from each other, collaborate, develop tools, and share good practices. The value of the Alliance was highlighted by the results of its monitoring survey, which found inter alia that most of the respondents from 24 different countries had managed to make progress on improving the supply, quality, and image of apprenticeships as well as the mobility of apprentices. Towards reaching these goals, 89% of the respondents considered EAfA to be a very valuable or valuable platform.

In addition, three new EAfA members representing regional and local authorities were welcomed. As EAfA is opening up to candidate countries, as well as Eastern partner and Neighbourhood south countries, Israel was welcomed as the first partner country to join the Alliance.

A number of good practices, such as successful strategies and projects, were presented from across Europe. At the conference, participants also had the chance to take part in four thematic discussions:

• Empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling;
• Promoting the international dimension;
• Mobilising local and regional actors;
• Encouraging cross-border cooperation.

Some of the key takeaways from the conference included:

• upskilling and reskilling play an important role in reversing the brain drain into ‘brain gain’ and reducing unemployment;
• it is important for institutional partnerships to be built on trust and to involve young people by allowing them to share their ideas at the managerial level;
• building mobility schemes is about bridging common interests, and it is essential to establish partnerships with institutions that are usually not involved in apprenticeships and student mobility;
• language skills are fundamental for successful cross-border cooperation.

The high-level event was organised in close cooperation with the European Association of Regional and Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning (EARLALL), the German delegation at the CoR, and the Basque Government. The conference was held in English and translated into French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Check out the event programme.

Conference recording: Day 1 - main event and thematic discussion ‘Empowering adults through upskilling and reskilling’.

Conference recording: Day 1 - thematic discussion ‘Promoting the international dimension’.

Conference recording: Day 2 - main event and thematic discussion ‘Mobilising local and regional actors’.

Conference recording: Day 2 - thematic discussion ‘Encouraging cross-border cooperation’.

You can download the full event report from the ‘Related documents’ section below.