The joint Cedefop/OECD publication on the next steps for apprenticeship looks at the future of apprenticeship from the perspective of emerging policy objectives, new approaches to education and training and external megatrends.
As shown by the coronavirus pandemic, it is important for education and training systems to be prepared and agile to respond to external pressures. The combination of the emerging economic crisis together with long-term structural trends that affect our economies will entail a profound transformation of the world of work and require effective policy responses in the years to come. As we are looking at an uncertain future, the relevance of this collection of essays on apprenticeship is clear.
The publication offers insights from world-leading scholars based in different countries on scenarios for the future development of apprenticeship, its emerging relationship to higher education, its orientation towards attractiveness and excellence and the (often ambiguous) impact of policy reforms on apprenticeship provision and design.
It discusses the pressures coming from a changing world of work, apprenticeship’s place in new forms of work organisation, its links with digitalisation and innovation and its adjustment to socio-demographic changes.
Cedefop Executive Director Jürgen Siebel and OECD’s Director, Employment and Social Affairs, Stefano Scarpetta point out that ‘Deep economic crises often serve to accelerate changes in the labour market and the underlying trends that shape them, such as automation and migration patterns. Effective vocational training and skills systems can contribute to making sure these changes do not lead to further disparities but offer new opportunities by continually improving the learning experiences of young people, enhancing equity while minimising costs.’
Findings and messages presented in the publication will contribute to informing political decisions which shape the futures of the current generation of learners.
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- The publication includes 16 selected papers submitted following a call for papers for the 2019 joint Cedefop/OECD symposium on the same topic.
- Authors come from the EU, the UK, Switzerland, USA, Canada and Australia.