ILO contribution to the G20 Task Force on Employment

Overview of Apprenticeship Systems and Issues

This paper is one of more than twelve research papers to be prepared under an ILO interdepartmental research project, "Working conditions, Safety and Health, Skills and Productivity in SMEs".

The paper, commissioned by the International Labour Organization (ILO), examines both informal and regulated apprenticeship and their advantages for the employment prospects of young people, in particular in regulated systems. It then sets out the conditions necessary for the development of apprenticeship, drawing on examples from a number of G20 countries. The roles and responsibilities of the principal agents involved in regulated apprenticeship are examined and the paper ends with conclusions and lessons drawn from the cross-country analysis.