2025 joint Cedefop-OECD symposium: New fields for apprenticeship

As a member of the Senior Management team of the Organisation, he contributes to support and advance the strategic orientations of the OECD. Previously, he held several positions in the Economics Department and in his current Directorate. From 2002-2006 he worked at the World Bank, where he took over the responsibility of labour market advisor/lead economist.

He has published extensively in academic journals and edited several books.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics  from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Science Sociales (EHESS), Département et Laboratoire d’Economie Théorique Appliquée (DELTA) in Paris and a Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

With his management team and all staff, Jürgen has led Cedefop to strengthen its position as a go-to ally for the EU institutions, social partners, researchers and practitioners when it comes to analysing the impacts of megatrends on the labour market, on skills, and on training ecosystems – and on how vocational education and training enables a fair digital and green transition.

Jürgen has a background in human-resources management with particular emphasis on learning and education, earned his MSc in economics at the University of Hamburg, and his PhD in business administration from the University of Vienna. 

 She holds a Degree in Political Sciences and International Relations and a Master degree in History, Economy and European policies. Since 2001 is working on European structural funds, European social Fund and policies areas related to the monitoring and evaluation of vocational education and training and active labour policies in national research agencies and within the Ministry of Labour and social policies.  She has been responsible for several projects and programs on the transparency and portability of skills and competences across Europe. Since the 2016 she follows the implementation of the dual system in Italy, the work-based learning and dual apprenticeships through the support to national and European strategies and cooperation agreements. Member of the ET 2020 working group on vocational education and training, she follows since 2017 the bilateral governmental cooperation Italy-Germany, representing the Ministry of Labour and social policies, with a focus on the training models for teachers and in-company trainers. From 2017 to 2023 she joined the ANPAL; National agency for active labour policies, where she has in charge of the National Europass Centre and she is currently within the INAPP; public research institution where she joins the EQF team working team, dealing with the implementation of the EU Council Recommendations on the EQF and Validation of non formal and informal learning NFIL. 

She is currently specializing in Public Administration Studies at SPISA – University of Bologna, focusing on governance models in education, training, and employment policies.

At the Tuscany Region, she is responsible for the governance and strategic planning of apprenticeships, internships, dual learning, and EU projects, overseeing policy design and evaluation in work-based learning and skills development.

Within the EARLALL network—the European Association of Regional & Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning—she coordinates the "Youth Policies" working group, contributing to European strategies on youth employment and regional skill ecosystems.

Since joining the World Bank as Young Professional in 2011, she has worked in South Asia, Africa and Latin America on poverty, social protection, skills, labor markets and gender. She has published articles in the American Economic Review, the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and the Review of Economics and Statistics. Eliana is a non-resident Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn). From 2019 to 2022, she was an Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. She holds an MPA in International Development and a PhD in Political Economy and Government (Economics) from Harvard University.

His work focuses on improving the regulatory environment, supporting digital transformation, and fostering public-private cooperation.

She has long experience of comparative research across Europe on VET, employment, wage relations, equality, and labour, with a focus on the construction industry. Recent work, includes Inclusive Vocational Education and Training for Low Energy Construction (VET4LEC), covering 10 European countries; and Integrating climate literacy into the construction trades in Europe. Publications include: ‘Overcoming diverse approaches to VET to combat climate change?’, with Sahin-Dikmen M. and Winch C., Oxford Review of Education, 46/5, 2020; and Knowledge, Skills, Competence in the European Labour Market with Brockmann M. and Winch C., Routledge, 2011. Linda received the European Commission’s VET Research Excellence Award in 2022. 

He is an economist with over a decade of research experience exploring the effectiveness of education, climate and telecommunication policies. His work has informed national policies in areas such as residential decarbonisation, the economic outcomes of apprenticeship and the effectiveness of improved school internet connectivity. He previously worked in Trinity College Dublin and the Economic and Social Research Institute. 

She was a Political Attaché to the Minister of State for Education and Employment of Quebec, responsible for the first government adult and continuing education policy in North America.

She has advised various organizations at the provincial level on vocational training, skills development, and national workforce strategies.

She represents the CSQ on the working groups of the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail (CPMT), notably the one on workforce skills development and recognition.

Ms. Hurtubise is also a member of the Group of National Experts on Vocational Education and Training, where she represents the Trade Union Advisor Committee (TUAC) to the OECD.

With extensive experience in education, science, and technology, Dr. Iriarte has worked as a TVET teacher, university lecturer, and researcher while holding various leadership roles in both public and private institutions. As part of UNESCO, he has supported member states in developing, implementing, and evaluating national policies on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), STEM education, and ICT in education.

Dr. Iriarte holds an associate degree in electronics, a bachelor’s degree in education science, and a master’s degree in technology education from Aichi University of Education (Japan). He earned his Ph.D. in computer engineering from Kagoshima University (Japan) and has pursued additional graduate studies at institutions including Dr. Frank Niethammer Institute (Germany), Nagoya University (Japan), the Latin American Institute for Educational Communication (Mexico), and Queensland University of Technology (Australia).

She studied Chemical Engineering and she has two Master's degrees in Environmental Hygiene and Business Administration.

It is noted that her 31 years of experience includes positions of responsibility in the field of vocational training e.g. Planning and Implementation of EU projects, Development of VET pathways, Human Resources Development & Training. She has been responsible since 2016 for the design, implementation and promotion of Adult Apprenticeship scheme for Vet graduates’, which was named the best European practice for the European Social Fund (2019), a good practice in ESF projects particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been published on the European Commission's ESF+ Social Innovation Database and it was presented as best practice on TAIEX Multi-Country Workshops organized by DG Near and ETF.

She is a national expert in the Cedefop community on apprenticeships, national coordinator in the benchmarking of apprenticeship schemes, national representative to the OECD Expert Group on VET, member of the Directors-General for Vocational Training and the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training in the EC and Official Delegate of WorldSkills Greece.

His work on apprenticeships includes numerous publications, Cedefop’s European database on apprenticeship schemes, symposia and policy learning fora, and Cedefop’s community of apprenticeship experts. Research areas: system-level features of apprenticeship schemes, links of apprenticeship with the green and digital transition, mobility of apprentices, financial and non-financial incentives, apprenticeship for adults.

He represents Cedefop in the working group for Work-based learning of the Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) and the Working Group on VET and the Green Transition. 

She also participated in the creation and structuring of the CFA du Social. Her new missions include the management of the CFA, the development of its activity, as well as the management of work-study courses.
Founded in 2020, the CFA du Social is a CFA "inside and outside school" managed by the AFRIS Paris Parmentier association. It was created to strengthen the professional integration of young people, fight against the precariousness of students and meet the needs of employers in high tension. After doubling its workforce every year, the CFA du Social now supports 500 apprentices and collaborates with three partner schools.
A graduate in Educational Sciences, Alexandra Marie-Moreau began her career in 2006 as an associate researcher in early childhood at the University of Paris 13. From 2011 to 2017, she specialised in integration, working as a trainer and coordinator of schemes to support young people aged 16 to 25, often far from employment, in the construction of professional projects and the search for training or jobs.

Prior to this he was responsible for running one of the most successful apprenticeship programmes in the UK Financial Services sector. He also worked for the UK Government, as a director of educational policy (apprenticeships) and before that at the Volkswagen Group.

He is a member of several academic committees including ‘Young Lives, young futures’ group at Kings College London and the International Apprenticeship Network (INAP) at Bremen University. His work has been published extensively and he has spoken at conferences and events internationally for many years, primarily focusing on Apprenticeships for the new economy. 

In addition to increasing educator voice in the legislative arena, her local helped elect several pro-public education legislators. Shannon believes that an inclusive union is a strong union, and that strong locals mean a strong state, nation and democracy. Originally from Canada, Shannon brings perspective as an immigrant and first-generation college student to the work of fulfilling the mission of the NEA. She now lives in Seattle with her wife who is a career and technical education (CTE) high school administrator and their very adorable cockapoo, Piko.

The program is built for aspiring educators who have a passion for equity, who are student centered, who find joy in working with students with disabilities, and who represent the students and the community in which they will serve. Most of Jim's career has focused on educator quality and parallel work elevating the education professions. He led WEA's National Board Certification efforts over two decades, contributing to significant growth in the state's teaching quality movement. Jim is a first-generation college student and earned Ph.D. work at the University of Washington in Seattle focused on the intersection of policy and practice, which remains at the forefront of his work today. 

She has more than 30 years of international experience working in the field and at headquarters with various international organisations and in the private sector.

El Iza holds a PhD in Economics, MBA in International Business and a BA in Economics.

Dr. Coffman's research and career has focused on issues of teacher preparation and induction, teacher leadership, teacher professional learning, policy implementation, and teacher quality. She earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Maryland and her M.A. and B.A. from West Virginia University. 

He commenced his career with Sun Alliance Insurance (now RSA) in Cork.  He has worked in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Sligo and Galway with RSA in various underwriting, sales and surveying roles.  He holds the top insurance qualification as a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, is a qualified Accounting technician and has completed studies in the area of Teaching, Learning & Assessment.

Brendan is a past president of the Insurance Institute of Sligo.  He works closely with the Insurance Institute of Ireland on exam reviews and wider educational projects.  Brendan also works with the Chartered Insurance Institute in London in relation to Fellowship matters.

Drawn to hands-on learning and precision work, he joined Savo Vocational College, choosing an apprenticeship over traditional education. There, he quickly developed a deep passion for metalworking and CNC technology. Encouraged by one of his teachers, he entered Taitaja 2022, Finland’s national skills competition an experience that fueled his determination to compete at the highest level. In 2023, he qualified for WorldSkills Lyon 2024, where he represented Finland in CNC Milling and earned a Medallion for Excellence. He is now preparing to compete at EuroSkills Herning 2025 next September.

His main tasks are related to advanced machine learning modelling, labour market analyses, and the design of big data pipelines to process large datasets of online job vacancies. In collaboration with the University of Milano-Bicocca, he took part in many research projects related to the labour market intelligence systems. He collaborates with the University of Milano-Bicocca as a Lecturer for the Masters of Business Intelligence and Big Data Analytics and with the University of Bergamo as a Lecturer in Computer Engineering.

Romain Pigeaud works for the Centre-Inffo: an association under the supervision of the Ministry for Vocational Training, with a public service remit in the field of employment, training and vocational guidance.

Centre Inffo's mission is also to develop, capitalise on and disseminate information and documentation, particularly for public authorities and social partners.

Romain Pigeaud studied labour law at universities in Grenoble and Strasbourg, and is also a member of the French Alpine Club.

 From 2017 to 2023 she joined the ANPAL National agency for active labour policies charged as Expert for the certification of competences in the Italian EQF NCP working team.  In the same team is in charge as responsible for the communication and Information activities for dealing with the implementation of the EU Council Recommendations on the EQF in grant agreements 2018-2020, 2021-2023. She is also an expert in the issues of continuous training within the interprofessional and bilateral funds to improve the level of qualification and professional skills of employed adults.

She was occupied in systemic consulting of health and nursing organisation and started then a scientific career. After completing her doctorate in social sciences and a post-doc-stage she became professor first in Ravensburg-Weingarten and then at University of Applied Sciences Esslingen where she has a Research Professorship for educational and health care research. She investigates career and competence developping as well as skilled labor retention in Nursing regarding to quality of care.

Here he directs both master's programs "Applied Health Services Research" and "Community Health Science". His research focuses on the development and validation of nursing-related assessments (PROs) and research on the care situation of elderly people. Since the reform of nursing profession laws, he has also implemented four research projects evaluating nursing education.

She developed her international experience working for eight years as an expert in Cedefop; and before that as researcher and consultant in universities and other public and private, national and international organisations.

Throughout her career, she had the opportunity to complete various internships in the fields of disability, child protection, and reintegration support for women victims of violence. These experiences allowed her to enrich her practice and better understand the realities of social work. Today, she is a partner of the CFA du Social (Social Work Apprenticeship Training Center) and actively collaborate with them. Her journey has inspired her to pass on her experience and support apprentices in turn. This is why she chose to become an apprenticeship supervisor to contribute to the training and integration of future professionals in the social sector.

Research themes include: work-based learning and degree apprenticeships; gender imbalance and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI); mentoring; student experience, and student networks. Coming from a background research eParticipation, Ella is especially interested in understanding individual narratives and trajectories, using a wide range of methodologies, but especially qualitative and creative methods. 

Stefan’s responsibilities at the ETF include working with governments, social partners, international organisations and development agencies to improve work-based learning and apprenticeship systems. Centres of Vocational Excellence and Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Africa are further focal points of his work at the ETF.

She was actively involved in the OECD’s Getting Skills Right project, analysing the match between skills demand and supply and the responsiveness of adult learning systems to changing skill needs. Her current projects focus on the future-readiness of VET systems, including analysis of VET and the green transition, flexibility of provision, higher-level VET programmes, technology use, and VET teachers and trainers. She is also co-leading the ongoing development of an International VET Assessment.  

Marieke holds a MSc in Business Engineering and a MSc in European Politics and Policies, as well as a PhD in Economics from the University of Leuven (Belgium).

He has expertise in the evaluation of registered apprenticeship, having led an outcomes evaluation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s American Apprenticeship Initiative. An experienced quantitative researcher, he has led data collection and analysis for numerous evaluations and has written more than two dozen research reports for U.S. federal government agencies. Prior to joining Abt, Mr. Walton worked at the Pew Charitable Trusts, where he conducted nonpartisan research on fiscal policy issues. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Winch is also currently involved in a six year ESRC funded project on young people who do not intend to go to university and their transitions into VET and employment. He has also led a Gatsby funded project on quality assurance in European vocational education and a project on embedding literacy and numeracy in T levels for the ETF. Stakeholders who have made use of this research include the EU, the construction industry in the UK, Europe and North America, government agencies such as Ofqual and Ofsted.