Between 13 and 14 October, the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) held a seminar where EAfA Partner Countries shared their experiences and achievements in developing and delivering apprenticeships. The high-level event took place in Belgrade and brought together government representatives, EU-level stakeholders, representatives from the European Apprentices Network, and other stakeholders in the European vocational education and training (VET) sector.

The high-level event marked the seventh regional seminar by EAfA and the European Training Foundation and was organised in collaboration with the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. The seminar had around 90 participants from 25 countries.

High-level representatives from the Serbian Ministry of Education, the EU Delegation to Serbia, the European Training Foundation, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Commission officially welcomed participants.

National good practice examples

Providing a local perspective, Gabrijela Grujić (Assistant Minister for Dual Education) and Mirjana Kovačević (Head of the Centre for Education and Dual Education of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia) talked about the successes and challenges of work-based learning in Serbia.

The event featured a ‘Learn and Exchange’ bazaar with seven workstations from Albania, Georgia, Israel, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Turkey. Speakers from each country presented the latest developments and achievements in the field of apprenticeships, answered participants’ questions and shared good practices.

Latest EAfA updates and new members

During the event, Kjerstin Torpmann-Hagen from the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion provided a quick update on the latest developments in the Alliance.

This was followed by Borka Visnic from the Teachers’ Union of Serbia (an EAfA member since 2018) who talked about the many benefits of joining the Alliance.

EAfA also officially welcomed Georgia as the 39th country to join the Alliance. Tamar Kitiashvili, the Director-General of Skills Agency, presented the latest developments and key actions taken by Georgia on apprenticeships as well as their commitment to EAfA.

Digitalisation and work-based learning

During the event, a panel of speakers representing Denmark, Georgia and Israel discussed the impact of the digital transition on the labour market and work-based learning systems.  The panellists shared key insights from the implementation of digital strategies in their countries. They also highlighted the importance of considering learners’ perspectives in the digitalisation process, providing basic digital skills to facilitate access to employment, and training teachers to use new technologies.

The reinforced Youth Guarantee

The event also focused on the reinforced Youth Guarantee − a European Commission proposal to step up support for unemployed young people not in education or training across the EU. To kick off the discussion, Ben Kinross and Baptiste Bouyer from the European Apprentices Network shared good practices of involving apprentices in the implementation of the Youth Guarantee. In a panel discussion, speakers gave examples of how this initiative has helped to create job and training opportunities for young people and achieve structural reforms and innovations in their countries, with a focus on apprenticeships and work-based learning.

Site visits

Participants had the opportunity to visit vocational training sites based in Belgrade, where they saw first-hand the latest developments on work-based learning in Serbia. The first site visit was organised at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where participants learned about the implementation of Serbia’s law on dual VET as well as different projects. The second visit was at the Qualifications Agency of Serbia, and it provided information on the competences and mission of the agency. Meanwhile, a third group of participants visited the Servia Aviation Academy – an innovative and unique state school in the region educating aviation personnel.

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