Innovations and emerging trends in apprenticeships

Germany’s tried and tested dual system [apprenticeship] … was the best way forward at a time when almost six million under-25s in Europe are out of work …
One thing that experience taught us is that there is, of course, no need for any country to introduce the whole dual system straight away. Inter-company vocational training can be an alternative".

Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) in 2013
This section provides an overview of the development of apprenticeships in new contexts – in non-traditional trades, at tertiary level and for adults as well as young school leavers. In particular, it offers three important perspectives:
  • how new technologies are changing the ways in which skills can be acquired
  • how apprenticeships can be used as a means of addressing the growing demand for digital skills
  • some alternative arrangements, such as pre-apprenticeships, modularization and adaptations of apprenticeships to meet the needs of SMEs.