9-10 November, 2015 (Monday afternoon -Tuesday)
at Cedefop premises, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Please pre-register for this event.

Cedefop is organising a one and a half day conference addressed to a wide range of stakeholders with a role in supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in increasing their offer on apprenticeships. Participants, no more than 150 people, will be public authorities, social partners, chambers, VET providers, large, as well as small and medium-sized companies from the EU Member States, the EFTA/EEA countries, the EU candidate countries, the EU potential candidate countries, and the Swiss Confederation. European level networks and organisations will also participate.

This initiative is part of Cedefop’s support to the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA), which aims to strengthen the supply of apprenticeships and improve their quality and image. The conference is one of a series of  conferences which Cedefop organises to facilitate interaction, cross-country dialogue and experience-sharing among relevant stakeholders for apprenticeships, all focused on supporting bilateral/multilateral co-operation for apprenticeship boost and modernisation. The first conference of this type was organised in May 2014 .

The objective of this year’s event is to discuss how SMEs can be better engaged in apprenticeships, and give an opportunity to participants to network and to explore areas and ideas for cooperation on how to assist SMEs in the provision of apprenticeships, in particular those which have not trained apprentices before.

Participants will also learn more about funding opportunities under Erasmus+, in particular the forthcoming Erasmus+ call for proposals in this area. They will have the opportunity to debate and exchange ideas on:

  • the opportunities SMEs have in engaging in apprenticeships;
  • meeting obstacles and challenges; and
  • solutions to support SMEs in taking on apprentices.

Discussions are expected to result in:

  • identification of areas and ideas for cooperation;
  • networking and exploring co-operation opportunities.

Cedefop is planning a highly interactive structure for the event, bringing participants together in small groups of varied composition in order to initiate bilateral/multilateral co-operation.

Cedefop will cover travel and accommodation expenses for speakers and participants who will have an active role in the event (propose and present ideas for cooperation, initiatives that would support SMEs engaging apprentices, chair, moderate, etc.). If you are interested in participating, please fill in the pre-registration form by 31 August 2015. You will be pre-registered to the Conference. You will receive a confirmation of your participation no later than 11 September 2015.

If the number of applications exceeds the maximum number of available places (max. 150 participants), Cedefop may decide to assess the applications to ensure a wide stakeholders’ participation and national representation.

If you are interested in more information please contact Apprenticeshipconference2015@cedefop.europa.eu.