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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)578
Vol.1979/0199

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)578final
Brussels,29thOctober1979
LINKING WORKANDTRAINING FORYOUNGPERSONSINTHECOMMUNITY
(Communication fromtheCommission totheCouncil)
COM(79)578final

CONTENTS
I.Mandata •
II.Diagnosis •'
III.ThePrinciples ofAlternance *
IV.Alternance inPractice •
/
Apprenticeship •
DayandBlockRelease (TheEmployed )-
Combined Employment-TrainingContraots (TheUnemployed ).
V.Proposalstorthedevelopment ofLinkedWorkandTraining Schemesfor
YoungPeopleintheCommunity# ;
Annexesi 1.DraftResolution *
2.Statistical Tables :
Table1:Activities ofthelb-18AgeGroup.
Table2:Duration ofUnemploymeiit byAge.Groups.

I-MANDATE
1. TheParis meeting ofHeads ofState andGovernment inMarch
1979 asked theCouncil ofMinisters tostudy linked work and
training systems (1)as"oneofthemeasures which should
contribute tothe improvement ofthe employment situation "
and asked for "concrete action ". Itdescribed such systems
as"thelinking ofpractical training obtained bythe exercise
ofavocational activity attheplace ofwork with theoretical
training obtained inatraining service ,organisation oresta­
blishment ".
2. TheCouncil ofMinisters ofEmployment and Social
Affairs inMay 1979 considered the development ofalternance
asone ofanumber ofelements inanoverall policy aimed at
the sharing ofthe available volume ofwork .Itasked the
Commission toput forward proposals forCommunity action in
this field .While this mandate also demands afull exami­
nation ofthepotential contribution of"alternance "asacom­
plementary element inpolicies forimproving the employment
situation ofall groups inthelabour force ,theCommission has
decided tolimit its initial proposals to"alternance"-based
training foryoung people .Therefore ,theuse oftheword
"alternance "inthis document isconfined toitsapplication
totheimprovement oftheinsertion ofyoung people into
the labour market •
(1)TheFrench term "alternance "isused inthis Communication
todescribe therange ofsuch systems .

3. Atitsmeetings inOctober 1978 andApril 1979 theConsul
tative Committee forVocational Training considered alternance
from atraining andlong-term employability perspective and
expressed interest in the Commission 's proposals .
This Communication ir^kes anumber ofproposals for
Community action inthis field asrequested bytheCouncil
ofMinisters .Itisinline with theprevious Communica­
tion onyouth employment of17October 1977 which emphasised
the need both tocreate and promote employment foryoung
persons onthe onehand and toadjust training systems to
changing needs ontheother .Thepresent initiative is
concerned principally with improving training opportunities
foryoung persons *Ithas three objectives :
a)Improving theemployability ofyoung persons by -
improving their opportunities toobtain training and quali­
fications .
i
b) Reducing thecurrent hifh levels ofyouth unem­
ployment byencouraging the substi ifcion ofviable alter -:
natives tofull-time employment intheperspective ofa^
better management ofwork-time .
c) Providing Community support for the'reform andmoder­
nization oftraining provision intheMember States .
The initiative will hence contribute both toabetter
integration between working time andtraining and tothe
continuing need torequalify andupdate thelabour
force .
/

-3-
II-DIAGNOSIS
TheCommission hasalreadyatvarious Crimespresenteditsanalysis
ofthepersistent problemofyouthunemployment andoftherelatedproblem
ofqualitative mismatch onthelabourmarket.Itconfinesitselfhereto
reiterating thatthepresentdifficulties arereflected notonlyinthelarge
numberofyoungunemployed per:–'-hutalsobythegapsb-i.wenthetraining
given,thecharacteristics ofIn-,:.youngpersona andtheprofiles ofthejobs
offered.Thereisnosigninthediminution inthehighlevelofyouth
unemployment intheCommunity asTable 1.shows.
Table1.-YouthUnemployment in"theCommunity
Mid-TotalUnemployment Unemployed under25YouthUnemploymentYear (millions ) (millions )as%oftotalun­
employment
1974 2,4 0,8 33.3
1976 4,5 1,8 36.7
1978 5,7 2,1 36o8
1979 5,7 2,2 38.5
TheCommunity LabourForceSampleSurveyofSpring1977showedthatyoung
people(14-24)accounted for2ijrtimestheunemployment whichonewould
expectfromtheirshareoftheLabourforce.Unemployment isconcentrated onthe
youngeragegroup(l4-19)whereitis3timesthelevelonewouldexpectfrom
theirshareofthelabourforce.Fortheoldergroup(20-24)itistwicethelevel.
5.Thelatestestimatesforthelevelofeconomicgrowthinthe
Communitysuggestagrowthrateofabout31°in1979and.I98O.Inview
howeveroflaboursupplyprospectsitisconsidered ratherunlikelythat
unemployment canbekeptdowntoitsexistinglevelbetweennowandI98O.
Inthelongerrangrowthwouldneedtoaverage4-51°perannumfrom1979
to1985ifthelevelofunemployment isnottoworseninthatperiod.
Sinceyoungpersonssufferdisproportionately fromunemployment ,policies
mustbedeveloped byallMemberStatestofacilitate theiremployment on
thebasisofananalysisoftheworkingofthelabourmarketandofthe
training andeducational systems.

-1*-
6. Amajor element inthis analysis isthat asubstantial proportion
ofyoung persons enter thelabour market immediately after reaching
theschool leaving ageand donotpursue anykind ofvocational
training .This isillustrated byAnnex Table 1,which shows for
example that intheCommunity asawhole 2k%ofthe16-17 agegroup
and *+1#ofthe17-18 agegroup leave school without pursuing any
further education ortraining .InCommunity countries forwhich data
isavailable there isclear evidence ofarelationship between low
levels ofeducation /training andunemployment :thepoorer ayoung
person 'seducation ,themore likely heistobeunemployed ,(Italy ,
however ,appeare tobeanexception tothis rule ).Thus interms of
long-run employability ,attention must bepaid tothetraining oppor -
\
tunities available toallyoung persons ,whether ornot they happen
toberinemployment .
N,
7. The duration ofunemployment tends tobelower foryoung
persons than forother agegroups asAna "-*-Table 2shows .TheTable
indicates that about half thenumber ofunemployed young persons have been
unemployed for less than 3months .Itiaprobable ,however ,that the
duration ofunemployment ishigher inthe four Member States not covered .
ν
These data therefore indicate that acomprehensive approach tothe
y
complex phenomenon ofyouth unemployment must take into account the
effects ontheyoung person ofemployment andwhether ornot such employ --
ment isproviding asolid basis for future employment and forindividual
development .They also indicate that policy should notrigidly distin­
guish between employment andunemployment ,but should take into
account thefaot ofahigh degree ofmovement into' and out
ofemployment *

III.THEPRINCIPLES OFALTERNANCE
8.Theconceptofalternsnce isbasedontheprinciple ofalternat­
ingperiodsofemployment andaneducational ortrainingactivity through­
outworkinglife.Alternance .hasbeendefinedas"aphaseintheprocessof
trainingassociating theexercice ofavocational activityattheplace
ofworkwiththeoretical training obtained inatraining service,organi­
sationorestablishment ".Itthusimpliesthedevelopment ofapattern
oftimewhichisdividedbetweenon-the-jobactivity andotherlearn­
ingactivityinatraininginstitution .Itnecessitates ontheonehandthe
acceptance byemployers ofon-the-jobtraining coordinated withoff-the-job
training andontheotherhandtheadaptation ofoff-the-jobtraining to
theneedsofworkersonthejobswhichtheyhold,Itgoesfurtherthanthe
classical combination oftheoretical andpractical training forittakes
asitsstarting pointthefactthatworkexperience initselfcan
leadtolearning ,ifappropriately complemented andreinforced .
Inparticular experience ofworkrelationships willpromotethe
gainingofasenseofdirection andcanhelptodevelophisgrasp
ofsocialrelationships anddecision makingcapacity inanadult
environment alongside theacquisition oftechnical skills.
9.Theimplementation ofapolicyofalternance impliesthebreaking
downofbarriersbetweeneducation/training ontheonehandand
employment onthiother.Alternance impliesthatthe
endofschoolorofatraining coursedoesnotmeananendtolearning .
Ratheritinvolvesaohangetoadifferent typeoflearning onthejobwith
opportunities forfurthereducation andtraininginthecourseofthe
workinglifespan.

-6-
10. The development oflinked work and training must
beplanned above all inorder topromote theemployability
ofyoung persons and their ability tocope with theworld
ofwork .But itcanalso ,and inasubordinate way ,
 
take itsplace inanoverall strategy toarrange work­
ingtime better ,especially intwoways :firstly through
improving thecredibility oftraining intheeyes of
both young persons and ofenterprises ,itcancontribute
toreducing thenumber ofpersons seeking work ina
much more efficient way than the obligatory prolongation of
compulsory schooling .Secondly theextension ofthepossi -•
bility oftraining leave foryoung employed persons has a
similar effect .
However linking work and training should notbe
considered asapanacea .Itcanentrain twoopposite
risks :the first isthat ofdisguising marginal jobs as
training periods ,orofusing the jobs toobtain alowly
paid workforce .Thesecond risk isthat ofincreasing
I
thecosts faced byenterprises -operating already in
difficult conditions -through calling foranaddi­
tional effort from them .These tworisks andpreoccu -
pations-of which theCommission isfully conscious -
call forspecial precautions especially asconcerns
thecontent ,supervision andfinancing ofalternance .
/

Clearly ,alternance asaprinciple ormethod canapply toa'.wide range
ofsituations ,including university level education andtheprovision
oftraining foradult workers .Atthis 6tage ,however ,theCommission
young persons .Itbelieves that theseriousness oftheir employment
situation andthepriority accorded tothis category bytheCouncil andthe
Parliament justifies aconcentration ofresources .
Thedevelopment ofalternance calls forthetackling ofissues
such asremuneration ,thestatus oftrainees ,entrance requirements
toeducation ortraining ,compatibility ofdifferent qualifications etcJin
discussions with theConsultative Committee forVocational Training ,
theCommission has identified anumber ofthese issues .Itappears
i
desirable toensure that the following principles are observed when
drawing upprogrammes ofalternance .The organisation oflinked sys­
tems will vary ,particularly asregards financial support .
Therights ansiobligations ofthetrainees will vary according tothe
form ofthecontract oftheperson involved .For example inasituation
regulated byatraining-employment contract thefinancial contribution of
theState isusually quite high whereas itisloworzero in
most apprenticeships contracts .Thefollowing principles are therefore
ofageneral nature and need ..tobefurther developed inorder to
apply tospecific situations.' '
Thecharacteristics oftheproposed linked system
12. Thelinked system ofwork and training should have thefollowing
characteristics ! vproposes tolimit thescope ofits 'action to training for

a)Itshouldproceedaccordingtoadefinedplanlinkingpracticalexpe­
rienceobtainedattheworkplace withtheoretical trainingobtained
awayfromtheworkplace inacoherent andprogressive manner.
b)Ingeneralatleast20%ofthetotalwork-training programme
shouldbespentontraining awayfromtheworkplace .
o)Thelevelofcompetence achievedasaresultofparticipation inthe
linkedsystemshouldberecognised bytherelevantpublicauthorities and
shouldqualifythe'participant toundertakefurthertraininginthesame
areaortotransfer tootherformsoftraining oreducation .
Theorganisation ofthelinkedsystem
13.Forthepurposeoflinkingeffectively workandtrainingclose
cooperation betweenthoseresponsible forconditions attheplaceofwork
(employers andworkers)andthoseresponsible fortraining awayfromthe
workplace (publicauthorities ,chambersofcommerceortrade,etc.)is
essential .Appropriate arrangements shoui' 1therefore bemade,wherethey
donotalreadyexist,toensuretheorganisation andcoordination ofthe
system.
Thefinancial supportofthesystem
1lf.Thefinancial needsofthesystemfallintothreeparts:thecost
oftrainingcarriedoutatwork,thecostoftraining awayfromthework­
placeandthecostoftheremuneration paidtotheyoungperson.Thepublic
authorities andtheenterprise shouldparticipate jointlyinthefinancing
oftraining .Asageneralguideline :
a)Thecostof-brainingcarriedonatworkshould -fallontheemployer,
(insomecountrieslevy/grantsystemsareusedtospreadthecostoftraining
inaparticular sectoramongthefirmsinthatsector).
b)Thecostoftrainingawayfromtheworkplaceshouldbeachargeon
thepublioauthorities .
c)Theremuneration paidtotheyoungworkerbytheemployershouldbe
relatedtotheminimumwagelevelintheappropriate agegroup,adjusted
totakeaccountofthetimespentontraining awayfromtheworkplace .The
remuneration paidbythepublioauthority shouldberelatedtoattendance at
training andtakeaccountoftravelling andsubsistence expenses .

-9_
Designandcontent of-training schemes
15.Inthedesignoftraining schemesdetailed objectives andprogrammes
should "beestablished atanappropriate level.Theapproval
andassessment oftraining sohemesshould "betheresponsibility ofthe
authority responsible forstandards invocational training .
16«Training sohemesshould:
a)providebothforthedevelopment oftheskillsrequiredtodothejob.
*
andforanappropriate elementofpolyvalence tohelptheyoungworkers'
toadapttochangesinhisemployment •
b)wherepossible ,bedesignedtoenabletraineestoachievetheir
objective bystagesormodulesinordertotakeaccountofpossibleinter­
ruptionsintraining causedbyoircumstances beyondthetrainee'scontrol,
andsoastoenabletrainees toexercise achoiceamongspecialist
options s Intermediate levelsofachievement shouldberecognised by
acertificate .
17.Thecertification ofthelevelofachievement inatraining scheme
shouldbeundertaken by.orunder,thecontrolof,thepublicauthorities .
to.Thepublicauthorities shoulddefinetherightsandobligations of
traineesinrelationtotheiremployers andtotheinstitution undertaking
thetraining awayfromtheworkplace =Inthecaseofacontract ofemployment ,
thooinimiffl^e^uirementa ofthecontractshouldbedefinedbythepublic
authorities /consultation withtherepresentatives oftho-onployerc
andworkersandwiththeinstitution undertaking thetraining awayfrom
theworkplace orthroughcollective agreements .
Conditions ofworkandsocialsecuritv
19.Workingconditions oftrainees ,whetherattheplaceofworkorat
atraininginstitution ,shouldconformtothoselaiddownbythepublic
authorities and/orcollective agreement forworkersintherelevantsector
andagegroup.Trainees shouldbecoveredbythehealthandothersocial
securityarrangements applic&le toworkersgenerally .
•Thegoalof'polyvalence' istoprovideasufficiently broadtraining
whichgivestheyoungboththenecessary theoretical andpractical compe­
tencetopursuehiscareerinthesectorchosenbyhimTandalsotobe
sufficiently adaptable tochangeintechniques andorganisation ..

-10-
IV.ALTERNANCE INPRACTICE
20. There exist inallMember States arrangements forthelinking of
work and .training .Thebest established istheapprenticeship system which
inmany cases corresponds closely tothetheoretical concept ofalternance
discussed above .Dayorblock release isalso widespread intheMember
States ,sometimes onacompulsory basis .Itcould provide asecond basis for
thedevelopment ofalternance .Anumber ofMember States also have intro -.\
duced measures toestablish training-employment contracts along with measures
tocreate employment andprovide work experience .This section reviews prac­
tice andexperience andsuggests guidelines forfurther development .
Apprenticeship
21. Theessence ofanapprenticeship isanagreement .between anemployer
andanapprentice that theemployer will provide practical work experience
-m
andsecure systematic training which will enable theapprentice toachieve
recognised Btatus asaskilled worker .Numbers inapprenticeships were fairly
steady during the .1960 *s.Theworsening economic outlook caused adecline in
theearly 1970' s,butthis wasfollowed byarecovery duetothemeasures
taken toencourage theemployment andtr^'"'"g ofyoung persons .Specific
legislation onapprenticeship waspassed inBelgium 1976 ,W.Germany 1976 ,
Denmark 1977 »Prance 1977 fLuxembourg 197 ./>Table 4shows thenumber of
apprentices inMember States .
•• Table 2
The Incidence ofApprenticeship inEEC Countries
Country Year11 iiliii M
Total No.of
Apprentices
inthousandsApprentices as
%ofcivil
employment
Belgium 1977 24, 0.8
Denmark 1976 55, • 2.2
Germany 1977 1,354 , 5.2
France 1978 220 , 1.0
Ireland 1977 - 17» 1.6
Italy 1976 692,1 3-6
Luxembourg 19772.7
Netherlands 1977 58,. 1.15
1*
Great Britain 1974 463, 1.9

-11-
22. Thevariation intheimportance ofapprenticeship isduetoa
numberoffactors.The•'breadth' oftheapprenticeship systemintermsof
sectorscoveredisrelevant .Forexample,apprenticeship inBelgiumis
largelyconfinedtotheartisansector,whereasinGermanyitextendsto
almostallsectorsoftheeconomy,covering some455occupations .Another
important factoristheextenttowhichfull-time vocational education is
provided asahalternative .
23® Apprenticeships lead,ingeneral,toskilledworkerqualifications ,
thoughinsomeMemberStatestheyapplytolowerlevelsofskill.Theytend
tobeoflongduration (3–4years)althoughshorterapprenticeships are
available insomecountries forlowerlevelsofqualification .
22f» Thedegreeofcentralised controlandcoordination variesmarkedly .
Inthemorestructured systems(Germany,Denmark,TheNetherlands )national
legislation provides fortheprescription oftraining programmes agreedwith
thesocialpartnersinthespecified tradesandoccupations ,aswellasfor
obligatory complementary vocational education off-the-job.
25o AnumberofMemberStates(Germany,Denmark,Ireland)haveintro­
duced'basicvocational training' forthefirstyearofapprenticeship .This
yearhasamoregeneraleducational orientation andisrelatednottoone
specific occupation buttoabroaderfield.Thisarrangement hastheadvantage
ofdeferring specific occupational choice.ForexampleinGermanyyoung
apprentices intheirfirstyearchooseoneof13broadoccupational fields,
beforeoptingforoneof455occupations coveredbyapprenticeship legislation
inthesecondyear.
26® Arrangements varywidelybetweenMemberStatesastotherelation­
shipsbetweenexaminations andq-ualifications inthegeneraleducation ,the
vocational education ,andtheapprentice system.Forexample,apprentices
inFrancetaketheC.A.Po,thequalifying examination ofthevocational school
system.BycontrastintheNetherlands theapprenticeship examination is
alsoopentoexternal candidates whohavenotbeenapprentices .Recentreforms
inI/uxembourg areintendedtomaketheapprenticeship systemrunparallelto
thefull-»time vocational schoolsystem,leadingtoidentical examinations
andqualifications .
27o Theapprenticeship systeminItalyisencountering severeproblems .
Thefacilities andarrangements forcomplementary vocational education are
notbeingfullyuoed»Therewere,forexample,T(QsOOQregistered apprentices
./•
*Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle .

-12 i
in1965ofwhom418,000attended complementary vocational education compared
with670,000apprentices in1975ofwhomonly12,000attended complementary
vocational education .Thecontinuation oftheapprenticeship systemwill
dependonmoregeneral declsioBS about .theorganisation ofvoca­
tionaltraining in'Italy.
28. Onaccountofitsestablished statustheapprenticeship systemis
evidently amajorelementintheexpansion andthedevelopment of
1alternance opportunities .Butthereappearstobeneedformodernisation in
threerespects :
(i)thedevelopment oftraining programmes soastotakeaccountof
technological andpedagogical change;
(ii)theestablishment ofequivalencies "betweenthequalifications
obtained throughtheapprenticeship systemandthoseobtained throughthe
full-time vocational training systemj
(iii)theextension ofapprenticeship trainingtoawiderrangeofoccu­
pation,particularly inthetertiary sector.
29.Furthermore ,theexperience ofapprenticeship systemsshould "be
examined withaviewtotheapplication oftheapprenticeship formulatoother
levelsofqualification .TheCommission 'sviewisthattheremayberoomfor
theadoption ofanapprenticeship approach bynewtraining areasandneeds.
AccessofYoungEmployed PersonswithoutTraining toPart-Time Training .
30.Figuresarenotavailable ontheextentofdayandblockrelease
outsidethecontextofapprenticeship trainingintheMemberStates.Day
releaseiscompulsory inGermany,aminimumof8hrsperweekforallyoung
workerswithin16-18agegroup.IntheNetherlands 2days'trainingperweek
iscompulsory for16yearsoldswhohaveleftfull–timeeducation .Inpractice
onlyabout70%ofthisagegroupparticipate ,sincetherearenosanctions s
toensureparticipation .

-13-
V'
I k
Combined Employment –TrainingContracts (TheUnemployed .)
31.Thesecontracts havebeenintroduced insomeMemberStatesrelatively
recentlyaspartofthegroupofmeasurestodealwithyouthunemployment .
Theyembodyacontractunderwhichtheemployerundertakes togiveemployment
andprovideforthetrainingofayoungunemployed personforalimitedperiod
oftime.InBelgiumforexampletraineeships havebeenestablished infirms,
thefirstsixmonthsbeingconsidered asatrainingperiod.InPranceshort
'stages'(l20–500hours'training)areassociated withworktoassure
insertionintoworkinglifeandlong'stages'(500-2000hourstraining)lead
toaqualification .In1978almost40»000youngpersonsunderwenttraineeships ,
30%ofwhichwerelong'stages'.
32«■TheCommission considers thattheexperience gainedbytho
operation oftheseprogrammes shouldbestudied ,astheyhaveagreat
potential asastarting pointforthelinkingofworkandtraining
fortheunemployed .Inthi6samecontextofprovision fortheunemployed
theoperation ofJobCreation Programmes andRecruitment Subsidies
shouldalsobestudiedwithaviewtointroducing wherepossible
greaterelements ofalternance .Training-employment contracts could
alsobeusedtodevelop andpromote newtypesoftraining ,especially
inthetertiary sector.
Alternance andtheNeedofSpecific Groups
33.Theorganisation ofalternance training wouldseemtobe
particularly suitable forthesubstantial proportion ofyoungpersons ,
identified inAnnexTable 1wholeaveschoolwithout anyqualifications
andwhofindthemselves eitherunemployed orinemployment whichdoesnot
provideanystructured training opportunities .TheCommission considers
thatitisessential thatprogrammes bedrawnuptodealwiththeneeds
ofthisgroup.Thereisfirstofallthequalitative problemof
determining whatkindofvocational andeducational opportunities canbe
developed whichwillmotivate andinterest thegroup.Formulae based
onclass-room workarenotlikelytosucceed.
Thegroupconstitutes Zkjiofthe"16–17yearoldsandofthe
17-18yearoldsonthelabourmarket,i.e.21/2millionyoungpersons
inthe16-18agegroupalone.

■1k«
34. TheCommission considers that measures should betaken to:
(i) introduce legislation ortoencourage collective agreements to
allow part-time release from employment foryoung people between 16
and18years forthepurpose ofvocational training andeducation ;
(ii)introduce financial incentives toencourage people inthis age
group toparticipate intraining andeducation programmes ;
(iii )develop andintroduce part-time training programmes geared tothe
needs ofthe16-idagegroup *These programmes could draw onexisting
experiences with apprenticeships ,day-release and employment-training
contracts .
35. Theparticipation rate forthese .measures should becarefully
studied . As acomplementary measure provision could
be made for anolder age group whohaving left school at
16have received nofurther training or""alifications andwhonoware
motivated enough towant toacquire training .
Often thephenomenon ofaninitail rejection oftraining because of
dicatisfactiaa with theeducation system hasbeen followed byalater
return tothetraining system atamore mature age*
./

-15-
V.PROPOSALS FORTHEDEVELOPMENT OF.LINKED WORKAND
TRAINING SCHEMED YOUNGPEOPLE INTHECOMMUNITY
36. Since "theworsening oftheemployment situation in1973theCommu­
nityhastakenactioninanumberofrelatedareas .intended toimprovethe
employment opportunities foryoungpeople.InJuly1975 "theCouncil
decided (1) tomakeavailable grantsfromtheEuropeanSocialFund
forthetrainingofyoungpeople.InDecember 1976theCouncilandMinisters of
Educationadoptedanactionprogrammi^lncluding aseriesofpilotstudieson
transition fromschooltowork.InJuly1977 "theCommission issuedaRecommen­
dation(3)ontheVocational Preparation ofYoungPeoplewhoareunemployed
orthreatened byunemployment »InNovember 1978"^heCouncil
decided(4)toenlargethescopeoftheEuropeanSocialFundbymakingavailable
grantsforthesupportofnational schemestosubsidize therecruitment of
yooingpeopleandschemesofjobcreation . i
37. t^13Commission bolievosthatthereehculdbeafurther
initiative atCommunity leveltodeveloprltornaace training .The
areaioanimportant ono,bothinternspfitocuitability forcertain
categories ofyoungpersons anditssignificance forthefuture
development oftraining systems .Itbelieves thatacontribution
canbemadeataCommunity levelby;
(i) AResolution oftheCouncilexpressing commitment tothe
development ofalternance andestablishing objectives atbothMember
StateandCommunity level.ThisResolution couldincorporate
elements oftheguidelines alreadydiscussed (paras.11-19)
andprovidethebasisforconcerted aotions and
theexchange ofinformation andexperience .(SeeAnnexI).
(ii)Anexamination oftheaidwhichtheEuropeanSocialFundcould...
givetothedevelopment ofalternance systemsintheMember-States .
(l)CouncilDecisión 22July1975OJ^199
(2)Supplement 12/76Bull.E.C.
(3)OJL180 (4)0JL361/3.

-16-
38.IntheEuropean Social Fund ,theCommunity possesses anoperational instrument
enabling ittouseitsownfunds tosupport Community action inthefield of
alternance training .
Alternance training isalready being backed bytheFund intheform oftheaid
itgives toMember States tofinance activities onbehalf ofcertain categories
ofpersons .With regard toyoung persons inparticular ,aidisgiven intwo ■
forms :aidtovocational training andaids torecruitment andemployment which
entered into force on1January 1979 ,
39.Inorder tofollow uptheaction advocated inthis Communication ,fresh impetus
should begiven tothedevelopment ofalternance training inthecontext ofthe ]
Fund .Pending whatever conclusions aredrawn from -thediscussion ofthis Commu­
nication bythevarious Community bodies ,itisalready possible todetermine
three lines ofaction .
40.a)TheCommission proposes fiist toimprove certain selection criteria adopted
inthe'Guidelines for themanac ^: -r-n ••theSocial Fund "insuch away that ,
whilst theRegulation itself will – -effected ,certain operations intro­
ducing alternance training will begi .v.priority assistance bytheFund .
Anyamendment oftheguidelines must ;,atiaLly beaimed atthemeasures
relating toyoung persons laid down i<Council Decision no.75/459/EEC
("Young Persons ")(1),Insodoing ,the Co'iunission will betalcing account
oftheapproach adopted inthis Communication which ,inparticular recommends
seeking ,through alternance training ,fresh methods ofproviding training
foryoung people whohave insufficient qualifications andfrequently no
motivation towards anyparticular vocational training .
Theguidelines will beamended within the framework ofthe annual revision
ofguidelines provided fortheFund Regulations .Because ofthedeadlines
set forthesubmission ofapplications forassistance ,theamendment could
apply only toapplications concerning operations tobeimplemented in1981 .
Astheemphasis that will beplaced onalternance training inthecourse of
guidance will not inprinciple directly affect thebudget ,thebudgetary
balance between appropriations available fortraining measures andthose
allocated fornewaids torecruitment andemployment will notbeaffected .
41.b)Second ,amore flexible interpretation will have tobegiven totheCouncil
Decision on"Young Persons "which reserves Fund assistance foryoung persons
whoareunemployed and "seeking their first employment ".Inpractice ,this
priority tends tobeassigned toallassistance granted under that Decision .
. , .../.
(1)QJno.L199 ,30July 1975 ,page 36.

-17-
Thus ,large groups ofyoung persons forwhom alternance training would be
particularly useful andb^n^fir-ial areexcluded ;more especially ,these
include young persons without qualifications who ,having found employment
foracertain time ,arethrown back ontothelabour market .Most ofthem ,
owing totheir lack oftraining ,seldom have agreater chance ofobtain­
ingarelatively steady jobthan young ,untrained persons seeking afirst
job .
Ifitwere possible tomodify theexclusive nature ofthepresent priority
ratings byamending theguidelines ,the Comrassion would notrule out the
possibility ofproposing anamendment tothe "Young Persons "Decision itself
sothat Community aidcould also begiven totheyoung unemployed insearch
ofemployment ,butnottheir first employment .
42.c)Thethird line ofaction consists in.going beyond theusual type ofaction
inorder toexperiment with more direct ways ofspeeding uptheimplementa­
tion ofthenewmethods .Incertain countries orregions recent legislation
encourages thesetting-up ofalternance training ,but for allthat ,there
areneither thecapacities northestructures capable ofgiving abroader
basis tooperations founded ontheprinciples advocated bysuch legislation .
Incountries where alternance training hasexisted for anumber ofyears ,
there maywell beaneed torenew or .extend thesystem .Bymeans ofmore
specific action focused onawell-defined ,small area andhedged with the
necessary guarantees astomethod ,the Social Fund could usefully generate
orencourage experiments aimed atasystematic investigation ofthebest
method ofswitching toalternance training orofimproving i-t.Theexperi­
ments would ,bydemonstration ,prepare theway forthedissemination ofa
method ,adapted tospecific national ,.regional orsectoral contexts .
Ifthese demonstration projects aretohave anyreal impact ,they will have
tobecarried outonasufficiently large scale andcannot therefore be
confined totheusual Social Fund studies andpilot schemes which "involve
notmore than 30jobs "(2).Itisnecessary toconsider howtomove beyong
these limits ,inparticular byusing and ,ifneed' be,adapting ,theframe­
work foraction defined intheCouncil Decision (Young Persons ).
43.TheCommission hopes that thelines ofaction sketched outabove will bedis­
cussed indetail bytheCommunity institutions .Itisprepared totake the
necessary steps toimplement them and ,where appropriate ,tosubmit therequi­
site proposals .
(2)SeeRegulation (EEC ),no.2396/71
OJno.L249 ,10November 1971 ,p.54.

ANNEXI
DRAFTRESOLUTION OFTHECOUNCIL ONLINKING WORKANDTRAINING
THECOUNCIL OPMINISTERS OPEMPLOYMENT ANDSOCIALAFFAIRS ,
considering theemployment outlookforyoungpersonswhoourrently constitute ahigh
proportion ofthetotalunemployed andthehighproportion ofyoungpersons who
enterthelabourmarketwithout any'vocational training ,
considering thatit1badvisable toreducethegapsbetweenschooleducation andthe
demandsofadultlifeandtoencourage moreflexible formaoftransition fromBchoolto
workinglifebypromoting thedevelopment ofvocational trainingoffering youngpersons
whetheremployed ornot,betterchancestocopewitheconomio changes,
considering thedeclaration concerning alternance oftheEuropean CouncilofMarch
1979andtheconclusions oftheCouncilrfMinisters ofEmployment andSocial
Affaire ofMay1979,
considering thatitistherefore necessary toadaptthavocational training systemandthat
thisadaptation canbeespecially encouraged bydeslopingthelinkingofworkandtraining
thisiBtheinsertion ,duringtheperiodoftransition toworkinglife,ofphasesofat
leastsixmonths,duringwhichtheyoungpersonisabletocombinetraining withpractical
workexperience ,
considering thatthelinkingofworkandtraininginespecially appropriate inthreekinds
ofsituations :
-youngpersonsundergoing apprenticeships or-training courses
-youngjobseekersbenefitting fromspecialmeasures suchaswork-training contracts
-youngpersonsinemployment withoutanyvocational training ,
takesnot*oftheCommunication oftheCommission
oonsiders thatthelinkingofworkandtraining shouldbedevelopped inmembercountries
withthesupportoftheCommunity aocording tothefollowing guidelines :

-2-
I.Action inthe Momber-Statea
(1)Asconcerns thecontent and ,theconcept ofalternance :
Member countries will encourage thedevelopment ofeffective links between training
andexperience gained atthework place .This linking implies onthe onehand the esta­
blishment ofcoordinated programmes andontheother ofstructures allowing aolose
cooperation between those responsible atthework place (employers andunions )and
those responsible fortraining (publio authorities ,chambers ofcommerce etc...)
Programmes should bedrawn ,up>onamodular basis toensure gradual progress .
They shall take acoount oftheneed tooffer atraining base broad enough tomeet the
demands oftechnical developments and future changes inthe work ofthetrainees ;
they should beplanned inrelation totheparticular characteristics ofthecategory of
young persons :aimed at.Aspecial effort should bemade todevelop apprenticeships or
training formulae forjobs inthetertiary sector *
Inthecase oftheapprenticeships andoftraining -employment contracts ,at
least one-fifth oftheoverall training -employment programme should ,inprinciple ,
begiven uptotraining outside thework-place .
(2)ABconcerns thecontrol andtherecognition oftraining
Thetraining programmes should beapproved andevaluated bytheauthorities res­
ponsible forvocational training .Thelevels ofcompetence achieved should berecognised
bycertificates andfacilitate access tofurther training .
* These authorities should also ensure that equivalences areestablished
fbetween thecertificates obtained through thedifferent forms ofalternance
training andthose obtained through full-time training inorder topromote
transfer between thedifferent branches oftraining .
(3)Asconcerns remtmeration andflnancial eupport
Member States will see toitthat theremuneration orallowances associated
with thedifferent systems oflinked work andtraining should beestablished at
appropriate levels ,especially inrelation tounemployment benefits andminimum
wage standards (whether legally determined orbycollective agreement )andshould
provide effective financial encouragement inorder topermit young persons -espe­
cially those employed butwithout anytraining -toparticipate inrecognised train­
ingprogrammes .
/.

Thefinancial costsresulting fromtheimplementation oflinkedworkandtraining
shouldbedecidedbetweentheentreprise andthecollectivity according tothearrange­
mentsnadeineachmemberstate*
(4)Aaconcernsthestatusandworkingconditions oftrainees
Minimumstandards shouldbedefinedforthedifferent systems ;oflinkedworkand
trainingeitherintheframework ofcollective agreements orbythepublicauthorities
afterconsultation withrepresentatives ofemployers ,workersandtraining bodies.
Inthecaseo£employment-training contracts memberstatesshouldasneededmake
thenecessary arrangements sothatthechangesresulting fromthesocialsecurity
payments donotresultinanunduepenalisation oftheentreprise wheretheyare
working.
Foremployed youngpersonswithoutanytraining memberstateswillfavourthe
implementation oflegislation orofoollective agreements whichwillallowtheseyoung
personstohavetraining leave.
II.A3regards Community support
TheCouncilconsiders thatinordertofacilitate theimplementation ofthisReso-
lutlajthe following actionsshouldbeundertaken :
-ItinvitestheCommission tosubmitproposals ontheuseoftheEuropeanSocial
FundtoaidtheeffortsofMemberStatestodeveloplinkedworkandtraining
systemsduring'the.periodofinsertion intoworkinglife.
-Itinvitestheauthorities responsible fortheimplementation ,ofthisResolution
to.establish cooperation inordertoencourage theexchange ofexperience and
tohelptoresolvetheissuesraisedbytheResolution .
~ItInvitestheCommission tofollowtheprogress madeinimplementing this
Resolution andshalldrawupareportduring1981.

ANNEX 2
Table ';Activities ofthe16-18AgeGroup (1978 )
Country Number of Rill-Time Part-Time No
Young People Education Education Education
000' 8 orTraining orTraining orTraining
Β 16-17 160 78 3 19
17-18 160 64 6 30
DK 16-17 75 48 20 32
17-18 75 29 13 58
D 16-17 1.000 50 35 15
17-18 970 33 46 21
Ρ 16-17 855 75 10 15
17-18 845 .54 6 40
IRL 16-17 60 60 9 31
17-18 60 29 4 67
I 16-17 880 55 11 • 34
17-18 •880 40 • 9 51
L 16-17 5 50 29 .21
17-18 5 37 19 44
5L 16-17 245 .84 6 10
17-18 240 64 13 23
UK 16-17 900 .60 7 33
17-18 875 .32 12 56
EUR 9 16-17 4.180 61 15 24
17-18 4.110 41 18 .41
Source :
Estimates Bade bytheEuropean Centre fortheDevelopment of
Vocational Training .(1975 ).

ANNEX2
~•Table2
DURATIONOPUN3-IPLOYKEOT BYAGECROUPS '\
i '■
tMember State
DatetAgeGroup
t3months.3-6months
*:* ■6-12months
.%over •
12months.
°//o •
Belgique
6/78
t___<25
25-50
50+
Ail22.9'14.4
15.1 ''10.0
8.7 56.7
16.5 s10.925.4
\15.8
-12.5
18.237-3
59.1
72.1
54.4
:Deutschland
:9/78:<25
:25-50
t504-
:Ail58.8";17.6
38.6 :18.7
21*4s15.9•40.8 s17.815.6
22.1
26.3
21.18.0
20.6
36.4 ,
20.3
France
12/78<25
25-50
50+.
Ail47.7 *30.0
39-1'20.722.0'!14.0
40.1.!23.-7».12.6
20.2
21.0
17.09.7
20.0
43.0
19.2
:Nederland >
s11/78!<-25·
!25-50
!50+
iAll
»
I50.0 :24.9
38.1 :16.6
21-3 :'10.-4
41.6.Î'19.712.1 •
16.4
15.8-,
14.413.O
-28.9
52.5
24.3
United
Kingdoo
7/78
i<25
25-50 ,
50*'Ail
!
J
«66.7 *13.3
36.5 ;17.9
22.5 :13.7
47.2 ;15.0/ »- >
t S !
| • 4'11.6
19-5
20à3
16.1
t
!
»8.4
26.1
43.5
21.7
SourceJnational Statistical Offices