Conference examines apprenticeship training

Keywords: Apprenticeship, Employers, Training, Small firms

Ways of assessing the quality of apprenticeship training were discussed at a conference organised by UEAPME, which represents craft, trade and small firms in Europe.

The conference, Employability through Apprenticeship Training, highlighted the importance of the following in ensuring high-quality apprenticeships:training at the company and in college; regulation of working conditions of apprentices through a contract; fixed standards for the content of training,which should cover practice and theory; methods of adapting training to take account of technological progress and economic changes; a major role for employers, trade unions and "sectoral" groups like the UEAPME; public-sector funding of the theoretical part of apprentices' training, and funding by the employer of the practical part; qualified staff to oversee the training; proper validation of skills at the end of the apprenticeship period; and integration of apprenticeships within the national systems of training.

The conference, supported by the European Commission, took place in Graz,Austria.