Reference year 2019
Understanding of apprenticeships in the national context
There are three main relevant legal acts regulating apprenticeship training in Lithuania.
- Apprenticeship has been set as one of the forms of organisation vocational education and training (VET) since 2008 after the Law on VET was amended. The most recent new edition of the Law was adopted in 2017. Key aspects are laid out in the law:
- apprenticeship is the form of VET organisation when
- practical training is carried at work-place: company, farm or at a master;
- practical training of apprentice at a workplace is carried out in accordance to an apprenticeship employment contract (pameistrystės darbo sutartis) concluded between the company and the apprentice;
- school-based learning part of the apprenticeship is carried out on the basis of a trilateral VET contract (profesinio mokymo sutartis) between the company, the VET institution and the apprentice.
- The Requirements for VET contracts and their registration procedures (2010, amended in 2011) lay down the requirements for the VET contract and apprenticeship employment contract.
- The Labour code (2016) legitimates apprenticeship employment contract and stipulates three schemes of apprenticeship: apprenticeship with formal VET contract (the only one leading to a formal VET qualification), apprenticeship with non-formal training contract and apprenticeship without concluding a training contract. Key aspects led down in the Labour code:
- employer must assure achievement of learning outcomes or create appropriate conditions for achieving learning outcomes specified in the formal VET programme;
- the apprentice is entitled to salary of not less than the minimum monthly salary or minimum hourly wage;
- time spent at training institution is not counted as working time and is not subject to payment by the employer. This period should not exceed thirty per cent of the duration of the apprenticeship contract.
- the employer should appoint (1) the employee responsible for the organisation of the apprentice work and practical training and (2) the employee responsible for coordination of work and practical training (trainer). The overall apprenticeship procedure is supervised by vocational teacher appointed by the head of VET institution.
- The Procedure for the organisation of VET in the form of apprenticeship (Profesinio mokymo organizavimo pameistrystės forma tvarkos aprašas) has been approved by the Government in 2019 (2). It regulates the implementation of vocational training in the form of apprenticeship, the rights, duties and responsibilities of VET providers and employers, quality assurance issues.
[1] https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/83bdea30f55e11e4927fda1d051299fb
According to Article 19 of the Law on VET (1997, amended in 2017), VET is organised in school-based and apprenticeship forms. Apprenticeship is a form of VET organisation, when training is implemented at the work-place: company, farm or at master. The VET provider, when organising an apprenticeship concludes a VET contract with an apprentice and a company. Company (employer) and apprentice sign a bilateral apprenticeship employment contract. Theoretical training is provided by the VET institution or at the work-place by a company in case it has a license to deliver a VET programme and the relative appropriate conditions [1].
[1] https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.44FA08A7226F/asr
Although the apprenticeship regulation entered into force in 2008 (when the Law on VET was amended), apprenticeship became fully operational only after 2016, when the Labour code introduced the apprenticeship employment contract, clarified the status of apprentice, remuneration requirements and work / learning shifts. However, the in-take into apprenticeship scheme remains low.
The following information refers to apprenticeship with formal VET contract (leading to a formal VET qualification). The other two apprenticeship schemes (apprenticeship with non-formal training contract and apprenticeship without concluding a training contract) are not monitored and it is not possible to provide details about their implementation.
- There is significant variation between occupations in applying the apprenticeship schemes – sectors such as the engineering industry or ICT have made use of the scheme either in the form of CVET (in the case of the engineering industry) or IVET (ICT), while larger part of other sectors are still relatively inactive in making use of the scheme.
- Only learners with at least lower-secondary education may enroll into apprenticeship schemes.
- Any employer may address a VET provider with an apprenticeship proposal or to get a license for formal VET provision (if employer thinks he is eligible and has necessary resources).
- Apprenticeship training follows the same curriculum applied for school-based VET (see Q20). School and company agree about individualised training plans for apprentices.
- Upon apprenticeship completion, an officially recognised qualification and a VET diploma is awarded (only in case of apprenticeship with formal training contract).
- Training and work in company should represent a larger part of whole training time: school-based training time should not exceed 30 % of apprenticeship contract duration. Training in school is not included into the working time of apprentice and the employer doesn’t have to pay for it. Maximum duration for work and in-company learning of apprentice – 48 hours per week.
- Employers should appoint an employee responsible for the organisation of the apprentice's work and in-company practical training and a trainer who coordinates apprentice's work and in-company practical training . Heads of VET institutions should appoint a vocational teacher for the overall management of apprentices training at a workplace and at VET institution.
- Apprentices learning outcomes are assessed according to agreed assessment plan. Assessment is done by a trainer and a VET teacher after finalising a programme module (i.e. a structural unit of programme) or during the modules. The final assessment of apprentices, as in school-based VET, is organised by independent external accredited competence assessment institutions (e.g. Chambers, branch associations).
- The remuneration is subject to an agreement among apprentice and employer. The Labour code stipulates that it should not be less than official minimum wage.