Reference year 2026
Version 2026
Drafted by Sandra D’Agostino, Senior Researcher, INAPP, Italy - Member of Cedefop Community of apprenticeship experts for Italy
1Scheme history
Legislative Decree 276/2003 established the 3 schemes of apprenticeships for the first time, modernizing the original framework which dated back to 1955. A substantial reform was implemented through Legislative Decree 167/2011, ‘Testo Unico sull'Apprendistato’ (Consolidated Text on Apprenticeships) The most recent Type 1 apprenticeship legislative framework was established by Legislative Decree 81/2015 and Interministerial Decree 12 October 2015.
In Italy, apprenticeships originated from traditional craftsmanship to prepare young people for artisan professions. Under the 1955 legal framework, they were intended for the most disadvantaged minors, who had to work to support their families and could not attend school. The main goal of the off-the-job training was to provide apprentices with fundamental knowledge and skills. Over the years, the maximum entry-age was gradually raised, first with Law 196/97 and later with Legislative Decree 273/2003, set out at 25 years. At the same time, increasing school participation led to the gradual abandonment of off-the-job courses.
Off-the-job training became mandatory again for apprentices in the late 1990s (Law 196/97) within the traditional apprenticeship scheme, which was extended to a broader range of participants (up to 26 years old), with the goal of promoting young people’s integration into the labour market. Legislative Decree 273/2003 introduced three different apprenticeship schemes in order to better address the distinct learning needs of young people who may participate in an apprenticeship.
2Beneficiaries
Minimum and maximum age limits are set by law. For “Type 1: Apprenticeship for Vocational Qualification and Diploma, Upper Secondary Education Diploma and High Technical Specialisation Certificate” the minimum access age is 15 and the maximum age is 25.
The idea of raising the maximum entry age has been discussed on several occasions in recent years, as a way to give low-skilled adult workers an opportunity to obtain a qualification.
According to the latest monitoring report (INPS-INAPP, 2024), out of an annual average of 11,775 Type 1 apprentices in 2022 (calendar year), 63% were aged between 18 and 24.
However, apprentices’ profile is rapidly changing as in 2022 the Ministry of Labour launched a special project to develop the dual system and Type 1 apprenticeship, funded by NRRP. As a result, the number of underage apprentices during 2022/23 school year increased by almost 40% compared to the previous year (INPS-INAPP, 2024).
According to the XXII monitoring report, in 2022 11,775 young people participated in type 1 apprenticeship in Italy (annual average of participants, INPS data based on based monthly declarations by companies). This represents an increase of about 13% compared to the previous year but still accounts for only a small share of all apprenticeships (2.1%).
In 2022, type 1 apprentices were mostly male (71,4%) and placed in the Northern Regions (73,6%), reflecting the uneven distribution of apprentices across the country.
Data collected by the Regions show that 9,586 type 1 apprentices were enrolled during the 2022/23 school year: four out of five attended the region-led IeFP programmes leading to VET qualifications and diplomas (7,589); the remaining apprentices participated in IFTS programmes or in upper secondary school (state-led programmes) to obtain a diploma. Regional data are based on enrolments to learning programmes, and in some cases underestimate enrolments in programmes run by state educational institutions.
3Qualifications
Four different kinds of qualifications may be awarded through the Type 1 scheme, covering NQF level 3 and level 4, each kind comprising several individual qualifications.
Cedefop’s NQF online tool presents information on the state of play of the NQF: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/nqfs-online-tool
All qualifications awarded by Type 1 apprenticeships are included in the ISCED 2011 mapping, specifically at levels 3 and 4:
• Vocational Training Certificate – ISCED level 3
• Professional diploma – ISCED level 3
• Upper Secondary Diploma – ISCED level 4
• High Technical Specialisation Certificate – ISCED level 4
The same qualifications awarded by type 1 apprenticeship may be obtained as full-time students in VET programmes.
All qualifications awarded through Type 1 apprenticeship are formal VET qualifications, which may be obtained through full-time programs delivered by schools and training providers or may be certified through a prior learning validation procedure.
All qualifications obtained through Type 1 apprenticeship allow for access to further VET programmes:
• IeFP three-year programmes (NQF level 3 and ISCED level 3) give access to IeFP vocational Diplomas (NQF level 4 and ISCED level 3);
• IeFP vocational Diplomas allow continuing to IFTS courses (NQF level 4 and ISCED level 4);
• By completing an IFTS course, apprentices may enter ITS (Istituti Tecnici Superiori), which are part of higher education (NQF level 5 and ISCED level 4);
• Upper secondary programmes give access to any type of higher education, university included (NQF levels 5 and 6 and ISCED level 5).
The Collegato Lavoro introduces the concept of a ‘single dual apprenticeship cycle’, allowing the apprenticeship contract to continue through university education and where applicable, up to doctoral studies or the traineeship required for access to regulated professions. This enables learners completing upper secondary education to progress into tertiary education while maintaining the same contract and employer.
The duration of a type 1 apprenticeship is established by national regulations. The minimum duration is six months while the maximum depends on the qualification to be obtained:
a) three years for the IeFP qualification in a three-year programme;
b) four years for the IeFP diploma;
c) four years for the upper secondary school diploma;
d) one year for the IFTS certificate.
The duration may be extended by up to one additional year for candidates who fail to pass the final examination.
4Governance
Currently there is not a national level co-ordinating organization.
The Ministry of Labour holds primary responsibility for apprenticeship policy, in coordination with the Ministry of Education – responsible for upper secondary education - and the Regions, which oversee IeFP programmes and IFTS courses.
Employers’ and employees’ representatives play a limited role in shaping the content of Type 1 apprenticeship. Through collective bargaining they primarily define apprentices’ wages and their classification in the sectoral grading system.
However, they are usually involved in the consultative process preceding the adoption of apprenticeship regulations and the design of qualifications, alongside Unioncamere, which is the national body representing all chambers.
It should be noted that sectoral councils do not exist in Italy.
The current legal framework does not assign any role in implementing type 1 apprenticeship to chambers, employers’ and employees’ representatives.
Their involvement is usually limited to promoting apprenticeships at the local or national level, mainly by providing support and assistance to companies.
The Ministry of Labour has primary responsibility for defining the legal framework for Type 1 apprenticeship, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, and for establishing the minimum service levels that guide the implementation role of the Regions.
The national framework also sets out qualifications, apprenticeship duration, system level monitoring (entrusted to INAPP) and the role of social partners and other stakeholders.
Curricula development, delivery and assessment of learning are determined by the authorities responsible for each qualification programme.
The Ministry of Education oversees upper secondary education, including curricula development, school organization, monitoring mechanism (supported by Invalsi and Indire), and the establishment of the national evaluation system.
Regions have primary responsibility for regulating and implementing IeFP qualifications and diplomas, as well as IFTS courses, in compliance with the minimum standards set at the national level by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour. They share certain functions with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education in order to ensure consistency and permeability within the overall education system as well as national recognition of awarded qualifications. Shared responsibilities mainly concern setting standards and assessment procedures, while the Regions develop curricula based on national standards and retain autonomy over delivery.
Public Employment Services play no role in relation to key apprenticeship functions.
Schools and training centres deliver learning programmes, develop curricula (according to national standards), monitor and assess learning outcomes.
Most type 1 apprentices—those enrolled in IeFP and IFTS courses — attend training activities delivered by vocational training centers.
Institutions offering training activities funded by the Regions must be accredited beforehand, in accordance with regional regulations aligned to a national framework established through a State-Regions agreement. This framework sets additional criteria for programmes targeting young people who must fulfil their right and duty to education and training up to the age of 18, such as IeFP courses.
Typically, teachers of basic subjects are required to hold a secondary school teaching qualification (university masters’ degree + certificate for teaching), whereas teachers and instructors for technical subjects and laboratories are required to possess a secondary school diploma along with a professional experience of at least five years, and in some cases even ten years.
For more detailed information, you can also see Cedefop’s activities on VET teachers and trainers: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/themes/vet-youth-teachers-trainers
For apprentices, the individual training plan – which is a mandatory document, that must be attached to the employment contract - must specify, among other things, "the criteria and methods for initial, intermediate, and final learning assessment ... as well as measures for realignment, support, and recovery."
The educational body (school or training centre) delivering off-the-job training oversees the monitoring and evaluating of learning outcomes, including admission to the final exams, in collaboration with the company tutor. Evidence of the progressive development of learning is documented in the apprentice's individual dossier, a nationally standardised tool.
The quality of learning must be ensured by the educational body within the quality assurance system established at national and/or regional level. This system is based on the following pillars: accreditation of training providers, service provision standards set at the national level, a national certification system defining learning outcomes and assessment procedures, a national evaluation system for the quality assurance of provision.
The National Institute for Public Policy Analysis (INAPP) publishes an annual Monitoring Report on the Dual System and on Vocational Education and Training (IeFP), which provides an overview of employment in apprenticeships and of public training programmes for apprentices, planned by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. These reports generally examine regional regulations, the training courses activated, and the number of participants, including the number of graduates. The latest edition was published in October 2024, in collaboration with the INPS (National Institute of Social Security).
In addition, the INPS provides some long term statistics on the labour market persistence of former apprentices after 5 or 10 years. However, these data refer to all apprentices as a whole, without distinguishing among the different apprenticeship types.
5Training at the workplace
By law, type 1 apprenticeship requires a compulsory alternation of training between two learning venues. The schedule of the alternation is usually defined in the Individual Training Plan.
The share of internal training should be clearly specified in the Individual Training Plan and must be a distinct element from the ordinary working time. This distinction is required by law, as training time spent in the workplace is remunerated at only 10% of the ordinary working time rate.
The alternation of training between workplace and school does not follow a standard scheme but depends on agreements between the school and the company.
The most common schemes are the following:
• 2 days in training institution and 3 days in company every week (week-based
scheme);
• 1 week in training institution and 3 weeks in company (month-based scheme).
The training is offered on the basis of the school-based VET programmes, as the final qualification can also be obtained by attending full-time courses.
Since type 1 apprenticeships may lead to four different kinds of qualifications, each associated with different occupational profiles at a specific level, it would be impractical to detail all intended learning outcomes. Each qualification requires a different mix of basic competences, technical skills and soft skills, primarily determined at national level, with the possibility for Regions and schools to complement the national set of learning outcomes with additional ones.
For apprentices, the individual training plan – which is a mandatory document, that must be attached to the employment contract - must specify, among other things, "the criteria and methods for initial, intermediate, and final learning assessment ... as well as measures for realignment, support, and recovery."
The educational body (school or training centre) delivering off-the-job training oversees the monitoring and evaluating of learning outcomes, including admission to the final exams, in collaboration with the company tutor. Evidence of the progressive development of learning is documented in the apprentice's individual dossier, a nationally standardised tool.
All apprenticeship contracts must be in written form and include an Individual Training Plan, for which responsibility is shared between the training/education institution and the employer (art. 42 c.1 Leg. Decr. 81/2015 and art. 5 c. 3 Inter-ministerial Decr. 12/10/2015).
Companies hosting apprentices are required to provide and comply with the Individual
Training Plan, which constitutes an essential part of the contract. It must be signed by the apprentice and by his/her parents if the apprentice is underage.
In accordance with Art. 3 of the Inter-ministerial Decree 12/10/2015, a company hosting a type 1 apprentice must meet the following requirements:
• structural capacities: suitable spaces for company-based training and, in the case of apprentices with disability, the absence of architectonic barriers);
• technical capacities: availability of instruments and supports enabling the implementation of internal training; instruments and supports must comply with in-force regulations;
• training capacities: availability of one or more company tutors, whose responsibilities and tasks are defined in art. 7 of the same Inter-ministerial Decree.
In accordance with art. 42 of Leg. Decr. 81/2015, the “presence of a tutor or company
representative” [1] is one of the fundamental principles which cannot be derogated by
Collective or Cross-sectors Labour Agreements.
[1] Each apprentice has one company tutor and one tutor appointed by the school; each tutor may supervise more apprentices.
In accordance with art. 42 of Leg. Decr. 81/2015, sectoral or cross-sectoral collective agreements define the requirements for company tutors, given that their role is established by the law.
Typically, these agreements state that the company tutor may be the employer (in SMEs), an employee from the same workplace, or, in some cases, a company consultant. In all cases, the company tutor must be already qualified in the relevant occupation and have at least five years of professional experience. Many collective agreements indicate that a company tutor may supervise a maximum of five apprentices.
As for Interministerial Decree 12/10/2015, the company tutor facilitates the apprentice's integration into the company, supports and assists him/her in the on-the-job training, provides the skills necessary to perform work activities and … supply the school with all the information required to assess the apprentice's performance and the effectiveness of the training process.
Art. 47 c. 1 and 2 Leg. Decr. 81/2015 describes employer’s responsibilities and consequences (sanctions) in case the in-company training is not delivered:
• If the employer fails to deliver in-company training, the employer has to deposit the difference between contribution already deposited and the contribution (owed to the employee) taking as reference the level of contractual placement that would have been reached by the employee at the end of the period of apprenticeship, increased by 100%.
• For violation of the provision of Article 42, paragraph 1 (regarding the general principles of an apprenticeship contract), as well as for the violation of the principles of collective labour agreements laid down in Article 42, paragraph 5, letters a), b) and c), the employer is punished with an administrative fine from 100 to 600 Euros. In the case of relapse administrative fine is increased from 300 to 1500 Euros
6Contract and compensation
Apprentices have the double status of “student” and “employee”.
The apprenticeship contract must be in written form and must include an Individual Training Plan, for which responsibility is shared between the education/training institution and the employer.
Typical contents are the following:
• the final VET/educational qualification to be achieved;
• the initial date and total duration;
• the trial period duration;
• the contractual placement and wage;
• the compulsory attachment named “Individual training plan”, containing all training details, methodologies and learning outcomes;
• the legal and regulatory framework to be applied;
• the workplace and working time;
• the name of company tutor;
• the learning outcomes and the on-going assessment evaluation of expected
• the expected learning outcomes;
• other general clauses concerning safety, confidentiality and privacy.
From a legal point of view, the apprenticeship is considered a specific type of contract because of its double purpose, that is working (for receiving a salary) and learning . At the end of the apprenticeship period, either the employer or the apprentice may terminate the contract, otherwise it turns automatically into an ordinary open- ended dependent (subordinate) employment contract.
Apprentices are entitled to the same protections as all other employees with respect to sick leave, holidays and vacation, other types of leave, retirement benefits and similar rights.
All data about activation/termination/variation of an apprenticeship contract must be communicated to Ministry of Labour and Social Policies through the National Informative system for Labour Compulsory Communications (COB).
Companies pay apprentices’ wages which may be set (Leg. Decr. 81/2015, art. 42 c.4) as either “up to two levels lower in the sectoral classification system than those of a qualified employee” or as a “proportionate percentage of a qualified employee’s wage”, both increasing in relation to seniority”. The wage is specified in the individual contract.
The wage is reduced to 10% for in-company training hours. This percentage may be modified by National Collective Labour Agreements. No wage has to be paid to apprentices for the off-the-job training hours.
In addition, companies are required to cover some apprentice’s social security contributions (art. 42 c.6 of Leg. Decr. 81/2015: insurance against job-related injuries and illnesses, ordinary illnesses, invalidity and old age; maternity, family allowance; employment social insurance).
For type 1 apprenticeships, the key elements for determining apprentices’ wages are established by the legal framework.
Typically, the wage is calculated by applying these criteria to the amount agreed through collective bargaining in the sectoral agreement for the relevant qualification.
7Financing and incentives
Employers bear the costs of the wage for the apprentices. They may benefit from tax reliefs and incentives devoted to promoting the hiring of young apprentices under type 1 apprenticeship, funded by the State, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces.
In type 1, the employer covers all costs related to in-company training.
They may benefit from tax reliefs and incentives devoted to promoting the hiring of young apprentices under type 1 apprenticeship, funded by the State, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces.
The legislative framework envisages the possibility of funding these costs through Bilateral Interprofessional Funds (jointly established and managed by Social Partners). However, only limited experiences of this exist at the national level.
The Type 1 scheme new regulation strongly encourages companies/employers to hire apprentices. Alongside a very advantageous scheme for determining Type 1 apprentices’ wage, a favourable contribution scheme applies: apprentices pay 5.84% of their taxable wage for social insurance, while employers contribute up to 5%, depending on the number of employees. Upon completion of the final qualification, the employer may benefit the same incentives for a further year if employs the former apprentice with another employment contract. The annual budget law may introduce additional incentives to promote the development of Type 1 apprenticeships, either at the national level or limited to certain Regions.
Upon completion of type 1 apprenticeship, the employer may benefit the same incentives for a further year if employs the former apprentice with another employment contract.
The contract may be transformed into a professional apprenticeship (type 2 scheme) for a further year. In this case, the employer receives an incentive to hire the apprentice equal to the payment of a flat rate of 10% of social security duty (considerably lower than the one required to hire a qualified worker). Furthermore, the apprentice may be hired by the same company under a type 3 apprenticeship (Law nr. 203/2024).
Recent legislation (Collegato Lavoro, 2024, Budget Law 203/2024) allows that annual budget resources previously earmarked for Type-2 apprenticeship may now be used to support all types of apprenticeship. The measure aims to rebalance resource utilisation across apprenticeship pathways.
At the national level, in the past there have been extensive campaigns to attract employers and make available places for Type 1 apprentices, some of which were also broadcast nationally.
Currently, at the local level, companies may access informational materials, which are always available at the PES or Chambers. Recently a detailed Manual for implementing apprenticeship has been prepared at the national level, with the support of the Ministry of Labour and disseminated mostly online. The Manual focuses primarily – not exclusively - on managing administrative issues. Over the years, many Regions have elaborated guides and other informative tools to support companies in collaborating with schools.