Reference year 2026
Version 2026
Drafted by Marieke Vandeweyer, Project coordinator Dual Learning, Flemish Department for Work, Economy, Science, Innovation and Social Economy - Member of Cedefop Community of apprenticeship experts for Belgium - Flemish community
1Scheme history
In 2015, a ‘Concept Note’ on dual learning was approved by the Flemish government, and from 2016 until 2019 pilot projects were put in place in order to refine the legal framework. Furthermore, the projects supported by the European social Fund developed instruments and collaborations in order to assist schools and sectoral organisations to start dual courses. From September 2019 onwards, dual learning is structurally embedded in the Flemish educational landscape by decree. It gradually phased out the two previous systems of apprenticeship (Leertijd and part-time vocational secondary education). Since 2024/25, dual learning is the only active apprenticeship scheme.
Dual learning was developed on the basis of the evaluation of the former system of ‘learning and working’ (Leertijd and part-time vocational secondary education). It started with a ‘concept note’ approved by the Flemish government, which developed into a decree over time.
Dual learning is integrated in the educational landscape, and educational providers are still the final responsible party throughout the training.
The goals of the scheme relative to the former system were:
• Improvement of screening and matching of pupils
• Harmonization of the possible contracts and clear status of the apprentice
• Simplification of the incentives for employers
• Strengthening the sectoral approach in the support of apprentices and apprenticeships (for instance in supporting apprentices’ placements but also strengthening the quality of in-company training).
• Uniform regulations on quality assurance and accreditation of the in-company workplaces
• Arrangement of learner support
• Strengthening of the matching process
2Beneficiaries
The scheme is available for young people between the age of 15 and 25. The Flemish secondary education system has 3 stages, each one lasting 2 years. Normally, students can start dual learning in the 1st year of the 2nd stage, when they are 15 years old. The upper age limit does not apply for the specialisation years in upper secondary education (t-3rd year of the 3rd stage, often referred to as “7th year”).
The scheme has also been expanded to adult secondary education in 2022. There are no age limits in adult secondary education.
Unlike in “regular” secondary education, completion of dual learning programmes only leads to a vocational qualification and not a secondary education diploma (technical strand).
Dual learning mostly happens in secondary education, with only relatively few dual learners in adult education. In school year 2024/25, 42% of learners in dual programmes in secondary education were younger than 18; 53% were 18-20 years old; and 5% were aged 21 or above.
On 1 February 2025, 5 637 learners were enrolled in dual learning programmes in secondary education.
Source: Dataloep Inschrijvingen Leerplicht
In school year 2023-24, 190 learners were enrolled in dual learning programmes in adult education.
Source: DAVINCI database (Ahovoks).
3Qualifications
Dual learning schemes are situated at level 2, 3 and 4 of the NQF
https://www.vlaanderen.be/onderwijsprofessionals/lesgeven-en-begeleiden/opleidingsinhouden/de-vlaamse-kwalificatiestructuur-vks
Cedefop’s NQF online tool presents information on the state of play of the NQF: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/nqfs-online-tool
ISCED level 2, 3 and 4.
The dual learning scheme is (almost) identical to the school-based VET scheme. Both schemes share the same final qualifications.
Each dual learning programme has an equivalent school-based programme (but not all school-based programmes have a dual version).
Possible qualifications that can be obtained through dual learning:
• Diploma of secondary education (level 3 or 4)
• A proof of professional qualification
• A proof of partial qualification.
• A certificate of the 2nd stage of secondary education
The access to higher education for apprentices in dual learning is the same as for pupils in the school-based (non-dual) scheme.
- If dual learning at upper secondary level is implemented in the technical education pathway, access to higher education at levels 5 and 6 is immediately possible.
- If dual learning at upper secondary level is followed in the vocational education pathway, direct access to higher education is restricted to associate degree programmes (ISCED level 5). Learners can also opt for an additional year to prepare for higher education (referred to as 7th year with higher education orientation), in which case they are granted a diploma of secondary education Level 4 upon completion– giving direct access to higher education at levels 5 and 6.
In adult education, completion of dual learning programmes only leads to a vocational qualification and not a secondary education diploma (which is required for any type of higher education). However, learners can enrol in a top-up general programme to also be awarded a secondary education diploma.
Some dual courses last 1 school year, but others last 2 school years. It is possible to follow a dual learning scheme in the second stage of secondary education (third and fourth year; see Q6), and to add another ‘specialisation year’ or ‘secondary after secondary’ which lasts 1 school year. This is the standard duration, in practice it can be flexible.
Programmes in adult education are modular, and therefore vary in duration.
4Governance
The Flemish Partnership Dual learning (Vlaams Partnerschap Duaal Leren) is a council with representatives of employers and employees, educational institutions, other providers of dual learning (training centres for entrepreneurial training, ‘Syntra’), the Regional public employment agency (VDAB), Department of Work, Department of education. This council provides advice concerning dual learning and related topics to the Ministers of Work and Education and develops a common vision on apprenticeships and dual learning. The Flemish Partnership Dual Learning has several legal authorizations:
1 ° the accreditation or cancellation of the accreditation of a company;
2 ° the exclusion of a company;
3 ° the monitoring of the implementation of the agreement of an apprenticeship with regard to training at the workplace;
4 ° drawing up an annual monitoring report on dual learning in Flanders;
5 ° taking the necessary actions to inform the companies about dual learning in Flanders;
6 ° supporting and mobilizing companies with a view to strengthen, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the supply of workplaces;
7 ° providing advice on all matters concerning the workplace component of dual learning.
The partnership delegates some of these responsibilities (in particular the ones related to accreditations and agreements) to sectoral partnerships. For parts of the labour market that are not covered by a sectoral partnership, the Department of Work takes on these responsibilities.
Employer representatives (typically sectors or individual companies) are involved in the development of professional qualifications and in the design of the related curricula for dual learning programmes. They submit a request for a new or revised professional qualification and develop the content with support from Ahovoks (the agency for Higher Education, Adult education and Qualifications). This includes the definition of the profession, the required competences, the work contexts, autonomy and responsibilities of workers in the profession. The request and content are validated by cross-sectoral social partners, VDAB (Regional public employment agency), and Vlaio (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship). Once validated, the qualification is officially accredited by the Flemish Government, and registered by Ahovoks.
When professional qualifications are developed or updated with the intention to be delivered as part of dual programmes, the Flemish Partnership Dual Learning and the sectoral partnerships are also consulted.
The Flemish Partnership of Dual learning (Het Vlaams Partnerschap Duaal Leren) has a set of powers and responsibilities concerning the implementation of the apprenticeship scheme. It delegates a number of these authorities to sectoral partnerships (Sectorale Partnerschappen). The set of authorities delegated to the sectoral partnerships depends on the sectoral council and is stipulated in a contract between the sectoral partnership and the Flemish council of dual learning. The different roles/responsibilities are:
-inform sectors, companies (and schools)
-mobilize sectors, companies (and schools)
-accreditation of companies (including termination and exclusion)
-monitor in-company training (contracts, mentors, quality in general)
- advise on matters concerning dual learning and provide yearly monitoring report (Flemish Partnership only)
The Department of Work is responsible for the coordination of the in-company training of dual learning in Flanders: it ensures the supply of qualitative workplaces for pupils in dual learning, in collaboration with different stakeholders.
AHOVOKS (The agency for Higher Education, Adult education and Qualifications) is responsible for the programmes and qualifications, including those that are delivered under the dual learning system. The education networks (i.e. networks of schools and other types of education providers) jointly design the curriculum files for the programmes, which are then validated by Ahovoks and by the Education Inspection (and the Department for Work when dual learning is envisaged). Agodi (Agency for Education Services) decides on requests from schools and other providers to add dual learning programmes to their offer.
Dual learning in secondary education is provided by three types of providers:
- Regular secondary education schools: they provide all types of secondary education programmes, including dual and non-dual vocational and technical education programmes. Some schools offer general education programmes alongside technical and vocational programmes.
- Part-time vocational schools: the schools that delivered the former apprenticeship model (part-time vocational education). These will be absorbed into the regular secondary education system from school year 2025/26.
- Syntra training centres: publicly accredited independent training providers that specialise in vocational and entrepreneurial training.
Dual learning in adult education is provided by Centres for adult education.
Teachers in dual programmes have the same profile as teachers in non-dual programmes. Teachers in secondary education typically have a teacher qualification at ISCED level 6 or 7. For technical and vocational subjects, teachers can also have an ISCED level 5 teacher qualification combined with relevant work experience in their subject. It is also possible to become a teacher without a higher education qualification if one proves subject knowledge acquired through an education programme at a level below higher education, pedagogical competencies, and for certain vocational/technical programmes also relevant work experience. Different requirements apply for teachers in Syntra training centers – they do not require a teacher qualification but are expected to have expertise in their subject (acquired through work experience).
Providers of dual learning need to appoint a “trajectory counsellor” for each dual learner (has to be named in the apprenticeship contract), who supports the learner with the work-based learning component of the programme. Responsibilities include: helping the learner find a workplace; drawing up and registering the contract (and the training plan); following-up on the training in the workplace (e.g. regular contact with the learner, visits to the workplace). There are no specific requirements on the profile of these “trajectory counsellors”. Guidelines, information sessions and other support elements are provided by various actors (including Department of Education, Department of Work, education networks, regional technological centres).
For more detailed information, you can also see Cedefop’s activities on VET teachers and trainers: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/themes/vet-youth-teachers-trainers
- Secondary schools are responsible for their own quality assurance and therefore are also in charge of deciding how to conduct the self-evaluation of the quality of their school (Decree on quality in education of 8 May 2009
- Expectations for educational quality are set out by the reference framework for Quality in Education.
- The Education Inspection and the Flemish Social Inspection are jointly in charge of inspection of the quality of dual programmes, with regards to the school-based element and the connection/alignment between school and workplace. The Flemish Social Inspection also checks compliance of the contacts with employment regulation.
- The Flemish Partnership for Dual Learning (and the Sectoral Partnerships when delegated) have a duty to monitor workplace training of all running contracts.
- Enrolment numbers are monitored by Agodi (secondary education) and Ahovoks (adult education); while company accreditation and contracts are monitored by the Flemish Partnership/Department for Work.
- VDAB (the Flemish public employment services) publishes annually results from its school leavers study, in which it analyses employment outcomes of graduates one year after the end of their studies. This includes also graduates from dual learning programmes.
5Training at the workplace
In dual learning, it is compulsory to alternate training between two learning venues (school and company).
The standard form of alternation includes both venues every week.
However, certain courses opt for in-company training in ‘blocks’ during one or several weeks.
This arrangement is specified in the contract between pupil, school and employer.
For each programme under the dual learning scheme, a curriculum file is developed, based on multiple professional qualifications. Ahovoks coordinates this process, in consultation with the professional sectors, the different educational networks, and the regional PES (VDAB).
The curriculum files (to be then developed into curricula) are approved by the Flemish Government.
Curriculum files for dual learning programmes have the same basis as the curriculum files for the equivalent school-based programme. The only difference is that the curriculum files for dual learning programmes have a section dedicated to “additional arrangements for dual learning programmes”, which provides an overview of clusters of vocational competences, as well as the type of contract that needs to be used and the minimum number of weekly hours at the workplace.
In secondary education, dual learning programmes always have a general education component in addition to the vocational component (with the exception of the 7th year programmes). The curriculum files are made up of one or more vocational (or partial) qualifications, with general competencies added to those. These general competencies are determined by education phase and orientation (i.e. different for 2nd stage and 3rd stage, and for vocational and technical orientation).
The general component is not included in adult education programmes (and therefore they do not lead to a secondary education diploma).
The dual learning agreement includes an individual training plan, that is agreed on the level of school, company and pupil. This training plan specifies which competencies are developed at which training venue. The regional (Flanders) curriculum files form the basis of these training plans.
Employers should have an accreditation in order to provide in-company training in a dual learning scheme.
In order to obtain this accreditation, the company:
• Should appoint a supervisor/mentor in the workplace that is of impeccable behaviour, is at least 25 years of age and has at least 5 years of experience in the profession. (as an exception, the supervisor can be at least 23 years of age or have less than 5 years of professional experience – if a relevant qualification is held). The supervisor/mentor needs to complete a tutoring training programme.
• Should comply to the standards of equipment and company organisation in order to provide a training according to the training plan.
• Should have a proficient financial basis in order to guarantee the continuity of the company
• Did not face any criminal convictions.
The supervisor/mentor in the workplace needs to
• be of impeccable behaviour,
• be at least 25 years of age (or 23 in case of relevant education qualification)
• have at least 5 years of experience in the profession (or have a relevant education qualification).
The supervisor/mentor needs to complete a mentoring training programme within a set duration after his/her accreditation (6 or 12 months, depending on the sector).
According to the 2016 Decree, the mentor is “the person appointed within the company to train and support the learner at the workplace”. As such, the mentor is also expected to be sufficiently available to carry out these duties. A mentor can never have more learners than there are regular employees in the company (and maximum one in the case of companies without employees). Moreover, sectors have set additional maxima per mentor, ranging between 1 learner per mentor to 4 learners per mentor.
6Contract and compensation
In the dual learning scheme in Flanders, we use three different types of contracts, each with its own status.
Most of the pupils (95% of agreements in secondary education in 2024/25) use an alternation training contract, and have the status of ‘alternating pupil’, i.e. apprentice. The contract is full-time, covering both the time at the workplace and at school. According to social security-regulations, the pupil is considered a regular employee. Therefore, the pupil also is entitled to social security rights. Under this contract, pupils are covered on several fronts: paid leave, illness- and invalidity-allowance, unemployment allowance, accidents at the workplace and professional illness. From the year in which they become 19 years old, they also benefit from rights linked to retirement and health insurance. The pupil receives a training allowance (non-taxable, paid for by the employer).
Fewer pupils use the alternation internship contract (2%). Since these contracts have fewer hours of workplace training, the pupil does not receive an allowance. This implies that the pupils do not build up social security rights. The contract is full-time, covering both the time at the workplace and at school.
In the context of the third possible contract, the ordinary part-time employment contract, pupils have the same status as a regular employee and build up the same social security rights. Employment contracts between employers and apprentices are regulated in the 1983 law on apprenticeships for professions exercised by employees receiving a salary.[1] The contract covers only the time spent at the workplace.
Other types of contracts are used in adult education, but with a similar set of regulations.
Source: https://www.socialsecurity.be/employer/instructions/dmfa/nl/latest/inst…
[1] http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=nl&la=N&c...
All contracts are tripartite, signed by the apprentice, the employer and the school (generally, the director);
All contracts also include an individual training plan, that is agreed on the level of school, company and pupil.
The key requirements, as per regulation, foresee that any dual learning contract mentions:
• Start and end date of the contract, subject of the contract
• Details of the employer and in-company supervisor
• Details of the apprentice
• Details of the provider of dual learning (school) and the apprentice counsellor (address, time, etc.)
• The allowance (except for Alternation internship contracts, which do not have an allowance)
• Schedule of in-company learning and school-based learning
• Rights and Duties of both parties
• The training programme
• Specific regulations of the company
In some cases, a regular part-time employment contract is used rather than a specific contract for dual learning.
The contracts are registered with the Flemish Partnership for dual learning.
Depending on the contract that is used there is no allowance, an allowance or a salary.
• Alternation training contract: allowance
• Alternation internship contract: no allowance,
• Ordinary part-time employment contract: salary
In case the apprentice receives an allowance (Alternation training contract), this is a fixed amount that is equal for all apprentices with an alternation training contract, depending on where they are in the education system (i.e. which education phase and year have already been completed). Companies cannot pay more or less than the fixed amount. Similar types of allowances apply in adult education.
In case the apprentice receives a salary (par-time employment contract), this is set by collective agreements.
7Financing and incentives
Costs for in-company training (for those acquiring work experience in companies, not as part of training projects provided by public training services) are covered by companies hosting apprentices but subsidies are available through sectoral funds and government provisions as described in question below.
Sectoral funds also provide additional services (like mentor training). These sectoral funds are mostly financed through levies on employers. But they also receive financing from the government if they sign specific agreements with the government that set objectives for their activities related to dual learning.
Companies can get a subsidy (premie kwalificerend werkplekleren) for each dual learner they train. To be eligible, the contract needs to run for at least 4 months, and the mentor attached to the agreement needs to have completed the compulsory mentor training before the end of the school year. The subsidy can be requested once per school year for each dual learner in the company (and can be granted at most three times to the company for the same learner). The subsidy equals EUR 1000 for agreements that include an allowance or wage for the learner, and EUR 800 for agreements without allowance or wage.
In those cases where a part-time employment contract is used (limited to a specific subset of sectors/occupations), additional subsidies are available from the sectors.
Source: https://www.vlaanderen.be/als-werkgever-opleiden-op-de-werkplek/premie-…;
The Flemish Partnership for dual learning and its associated sectoral partnerships undertake online and offline actions to promote dual learning in order to convince companies to offer open places for trainees.
The Department for Work regularly organises info sessions for companies, focusing on regulations around accreditation and contracts, socio-legal aspects of training a dual learners, and the subsidy. The Department also developed guidelines for companies/mentors on how to provide a quality learning environment (Groeiwijzer).
A dedicated website with information on dual learning is available. It includes information for students, parents, schools and training centres and companies. It provides information on important events (e.g. the Week of dual learning).
In the platform that companies use to submit their accreditation request, and in which agreements are recorded, companies can also indicate the availability of training places. These are then posted on the https://werkplekken.werkplekduaal.be/ search tool that learners (and schools) can use to look for accredited companies. The platform and search tool are managed by the Department for Work.
One of the responsibilities of the sectoral partnerships is to mobilise new and support active companies in dual learning. They do so through various activities and tools, and as mentioned above often provide free training for mentors.
Also the “regional technological centers” (RTC), since 2024/25, provide support to companies who are engaged in dual (or want to), and help them get in contact with training providers.