Welcome

The European database on apprenticeship schemes collects and presents structured, comparable information on apprenticeship schemes in EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway and the UK.

Organization

The database collects and organises information on apprenticeship at country level and at scheme level, allowing for comparison by country as well as by scheme. Information can also be retrieved through the map of Europe, or through an advanced search tool.

Scope

The database only contains apprenticeship schemes (considered as such in the national official definitions, i.e. what governments define as such by means of norms and minimum legal requirements) that have a stable/valid legal basis, are system-level or mainstream schemes, and lead to formal VET qualifications. Pilot schemes, even when underpinned by a legal basis, are beyond the database scope.

The term apprenticeship scheme refers to a systematic arrangement about how apprenticeship provision should be designed, delivered, assessed, certified, and governed within the overall VET system. More than one scheme may exist in a country.

Versions

The first version (2016) was a pilot version presenting 31 country fiches for all EU Member States (including UK as a Member State at the time) plus Iceland and Norway, and 29 apprenticeship scheme fiches, based on information collected in the first half of 2016 as part of Cedefop’s study Apprenticeship schemes in European countries: A Cross-National Overview.

The second version (2019-20) was developed based on information provided, quality-checked, updated and complemented by the members of the Cedefop community of apprenticeship experts. It presents 26 country fiches and 32 scheme fiches. More recent updates of schemes are indicated in the corresponding fiches.

Differences in the structure of scheme fiches between the 2016 and 2019-2020 versions reflect Cedefop’s consolidated knowledge in mapping and reviewing apprenticeship schemes, grounding on Cedefop's work on apprenticeships in work-based learning.

Cedefop’s database on financing apprenticeships in the EU provides complementary information on how apprenticeship schemes are financed in the EU Member States and the UK, in terms of overall financing arrangements and particular financing instruments.