About Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships can help young people make smoother transitions from school to employment, as well as adults in their upskilling and reskilling pathways. The Council Recommendation of 15 March 2018 on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships sets how apprenticeships are understood across EU Member States.
Through research, analyses and policy learning, Cedefop supports the EU policy agenda (2020 Council Recommendation on VET, the Osnabrück Declaration on VET, the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships - EFQEA and the European Alliance for Apprenticeships - EafA) and the relevant stakeholders in their efforts to reach objectives such as improvement, expansion, quality, effectiveness and mobility in apprenticeships.
Cedefop’s work on apprenticeships focuses on system-level features of apprenticeship schemes (established by regulation) in the EU-27, Iceland, Norway, and the UK, which lead to formally recognised VET qualifications.