Built to last: apprenticeship vision, purpose, and resilience in times of crisis : short papers from the Cedefop community of apprenticeship experts

The 2008 financial crisis, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, presented significant challenges - along with some opportunities - for apprenticeship systems and schemes across Europe, bringing into focus their resilience in times of crisis. These events, along with trends such as the green and digital transitions, have triggered discussions among relevant stakeholders on the purpose and their overall vision for apprenticeships in their countries. This publication comprises papers drafted by Cedefop's community of apprenticeship experts on apprenticeship resilience, and apprenticeship vision and purpose. To complement the country-specific angle, Cedefop developed a comparative, cross-scheme and cross-country analysis and shared its reflections. The publication shows that approaches may vary significantly between individual EU Member States. It also reveals that the two topics examined are connected, and share similarities in the way apprenticeship schemes are designed and governed. Understanding such interconnections will help policy-makers to introduce better targeted and more effective reforms that benefit learners, employers and societies.