Representatives of non-governmental organisations, churches and companies from Germany's Hanover region, who are preparing to take in 33 Greek apprentices, visited Cedefop on 6 April.

The project – which is led by the Municipal Association of Churches and its social workshops and funded by the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs – is carried out in cooperation with Thessaloniki-based career guidance centre Dialogos.

The selected young apprentices-to-be are undergoing induction training, learning the language and getting acquainted with life and work in the region.

They will start their three-year programmes, ranging from bakery to care for the elderly and gastronomy, in August.

The group wanted to learn more about European cooperation on apprenticeships, the Greek vocational education and training (VET) system, and the transferability of qualifications between European countries.

Cedefop Director James Calleja and Head of Communication Gerd-Oskar Bausewein welcomed the visitors. Corinna Frey, responsible for stakeholder relations, presented Cedefop and its European policy mandate. Head of Department for VET Systems and Institutions Loukas Zahilas and Vlasis Korovilos from Cedefop’s expert group provided information on the Greek VET system and advice on the possibilities to get recognition in Greece for apprenticeships carried out in Germany.

The visitors stated that they would take home a lot of useful information and a more European outlook on their bilateral cooperation.