Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on:

- the 'Communication from the Commission on Promoting an apprenticeship training in Europe`, and - the 'Draft Decision of the Council on the Promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship` (98/C 180/08)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Commission Communication on Promoting apprenticeship training in Europe () and the Draft Decision of the Council on the Promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship ();

having regard to its Bureau decision on 11 June 1997, in conformity with Article 198C fourth indent to draw up an opinion on this subject and to attribute its preparation to Commission 6 'Education and Training`;

having regard to the Draft Opinion (CdR 431/97 rev) adopted by Commission 6 on

16 January 1998 (Rapporteur: Mr Axel Endlein);

whereas the Committee in its Opinion on the White Paper on education and training () pointed out that apprenticeship trainee schemes should be looked upon as an integrated part or a complement to the education system;

whereas the Committee in its Opinion on the European Commission Green Paper on Education - Training - Research: the obstacles to transnational mobility () called for legal recognition for trainees on placements and apprentices and supported the development of mobility programmes for apprentices. It also called for measures to improve the comparability, transparency and recognition of vocational skills and qualifications;

whereas the extraordinary European Council meeting on Employment of 20-21 November 1997 highlighted the commitment of Member States to ensure that they equip young people with greater ability to adapt to technological and economic changes and with skills relevant to the labour market, where appropriate by implementing or developing apprenticeship training,

unanimously adopted the following opinion at its 22nd plenary session of 12 and 13 March 1998 (meeting of 12 March).

1. Introduction

1.1.1. Chapter 7 of the 1993 White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment - The Challenges and Ways Forward into the 21st Century refers to the importance of apprenticeship training and the greater involvement of business in initial and further vocational training. At the Florence European Summit of 21-22 June 1996 the Commission was asked to undertake a study on the role of apprenticeship training in job creation in the Member States.

1.1.2. The study, entitled 'The role of apprenticeship in enhancing employability and job creation: the significance of apprenticeship in training for the labour market`, and drawn up by the Netherlands Economic Institute, was available in April 1997. This opinion takes accounts of its findings.

1.1.3. In June 1997 the Commission issued a Communication entitled Promoting apprenticeship training in Europe, which inter alia proposes five areas for action.

1.1.4. In November 1997 the Commission adopted a Draft Decision of the Council on the promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship, containing measures to facilitate cross-border mobility for apprentices.

1.2. Results of the study on the importance of apprenticeship training in the Member States

1.2.1. The study has five parts. The first part suggests a practicable definition of apprenticeship and describes the training systems existing in the Member States. Typically apprenticeships combine primarily theoretical tuition in college with practical training in the workplace. To qualify as an apprenticeship, training must be for a minimum period ending with the award of a certificate, and there must be strong emphasis on both part-time tuition in the classroom and practical experience in the workplace. Full-time tuition with occasional work experience thus does not fall under the definition of an apprenticeship.

1.2.2. Using the study's definition, the following types of training can thus be regarded as apprenticeships in the broadest sense:

a) What the study describes as the traditional or regular form of apprenticeship - a continuation of education after the end of compulsory general schooling. This mainly concerns 15 to 18 year-olds. Apprenticeships play a quantitatively and qualitatively important role as a continuation of secondary education in Denmark, Germany and Austria. The percentages of young people leaving school after initial secondary education are 56 % in Denmark, and 42 % in Germany and Austria. In other countries too apprenticeships are an important part of initial vocational training: Belgium and France 11 %, Ireland 10 %, Luxembourg 13 %, the Netherlands 20 % and the United Kingdom an estimated 16 %. In these countries however, as in Sweden and Finland, full-time vocational training colleges predominate. Apprenticeships also exist in the other Member States, but only to a limited extent.

b) Apprenticeships at higher educational level (technical training, universities). This type of apprenticeship is seen more as a reform measure (with a view to extension of apprenticeships to other areas and stages of training). This form of apprenticeship so far exists in only a few Member States, and even there is seen as an exception or a pilot action.

c) Apprenticeships intended as short-term/job-creation measures aimed at improving opportunities for disadvantaged school leavers. The main objective here is to help young people prepare for work and make the transition to normal vocational training or a first job.

d) Apprenticeships (also of the job-creation type) for women wishing to recommence work.

e) (Job-creation-type) apprenticeship for the long-term unemployed.

1.2.3. Type a) is what is normally understood by an apprenticeship in the narrower sense. An essential feature of this type of apprenticeship is that, as a period of training following compulsory schooling, it is part of an individual's education rather than a job-creation measure. The study shows that these basic principles also apply to other areas of training and target groups. But the Commission's communication and this opinion concentrate mainly on the first type.

1.2.4. The study discusses other aspects and problems of apprenticeships, such as difficulties experienced by young people completing their apprenticeships in moving on to other/more advanced training. Obviously this reduces the attractiveness of apprenticeships. The degree of involvement of employers' associations, trade unions, educators and administrators varies greatly from one Member State to another, with involvement being greatest in those countries with a strong tradition of apprenticeships. This enhances the status and acceptability of apprenticeships in the labour market. The same applies to the degree of decentralization of decision-making to regional and local bodies.

1.2.5. The proportion of time spent in the workplace is about three quarters in the countries with a strong apprenticeship tradition, and less elsewhere. But the way in which training in the classroom and in the workplace are combined varies greatly. The importance of certificates and their actual recognition in the labour market also vary greatly in practical terms and in degree.

1.2.6. The study's assessment of the labour-market effectiveness of apprenticeships is positive. It confirms the potential of apprenticeships for developing employability. For many, apprenticeships, with their high proportion of practical work, facilitate the transition to working life. Young people completing apprenticeships are more successful in finding work than their contemporaries who have attended technical colleges. The higher the level of participation in apprenticeship schemes, the lower the level of youth unemployment in relation to the general unemployment rate. In countries with a well developed system of apprenticeships the capacity to react to technical change is good.

1.2.7. There are however difficulties with apprenticeships in a number of areas. There is obviously a danger of the number of training places available in industry being cut in times of recession. The Committee also feels that it should be pointed out that the balance between supply from industry and demand from school leavers is necessarily less favourable in rural regions with low concentrations of industry and services and relatively high birth rates and regions in industrial decline than in economically stronger areas. The involvement of industry in apprenticeships varies greatly, with the danger of a mismatch between training and employment. Competition between the different types of post-compulsory schooling (continuing general education, apprenticeship, technical college) can lead to competitive pressures and distortions in the demand for education.

1.2.8. It should be recognized that employers providing apprenticeships can sometimes be discouraged by European laws and regulations. These can mitigate against the ongoing employment of a trained young person and therefore prove to be a dis-incentive for employers.

1.2.9. In many countries with a mainly academic tradition of vocational training politicians are nowadays paying a great deal more attention to apprenticeships. The last few years have seen many reforms and much investment in developing and - particularly in the southern European countries - setting up apprenticeship systems.

1.3. Commission Communication on Promoting apprenticeship training in Europe

1.3.1. The communication is the first document which the Commission has devoted to the question of apprenticeships. At nine pages, it is a brief document setting out the underlying assumptions (part 1, Apprenticeship training launches working lives), current examples of reform in the Member States (part 2, Dynamic reforms with similar objectives) and recommendations/areas for action (part 3, Five keys to more effective apprenticeship training).

1.3.2. The recommendations for promoting apprenticeship training can be summarized as follows:

Expand and develop apprenticeship training

Apprenticeship training must adapt to newly emerging occupations and growth areas. To ensure that industry provides sufficient training places, the Member States should offer financial incentives. The Commission will be combing Europe for models and innovative approaches in this area worthy of imitation.

Raise the quality of training

It is recommended that the Member States adapt curricula to narrow the gap between initial and continuing training. For its part the Commission will place more emphasis in the Leonardo da Vinci European vocational training programme on improving apprenticeship training by means of the exchange of trainers.

Encourage the mobility of apprentices

The differing status of apprentices in the Member States hampers mobility in the EU and recognition of training undertaken in another Member State. Following the communication, the Commission has put forward a proposal to develop a common legal framework to promote apprenticeship training in Europe in the form of the Draft Decision of the Council on the Promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship, considered below. When revising the Leonardo da Vinci action programme, the Commission will place special emphasis on a mobility scheme for apprentices along the lines of Socrates/Erasmus.

Towards real strategies for apprenticeship training

The Commission, with the contribution of the Member States, could draw up regular reports on apprenticeship training in the Member States. The Commission also recommends a benchmarking system for apprenticeship training. On-going monitoring, as required by benchmarking, could contribute to the development of new strategies for apprenticeship training.

1.4. Draft Decision of the Council on the promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship

1.4.1. This proposal contains the first detailed working out of areas for action mapped out in the Commission Communication entitled Promoting apprenticeship training in Europe, particularly with a view to facilitating the cross-border mobility of apprentices.

1.4.2. Article 1 sets out the objectives of the decision. Thus the curriculum and other requirements, which European work-linked training and apprenticeship schemes are required to meet, are set out in the form of a document know as EUROPASS training, which attests to knowledge gained in the course of training undertaken in another Member State.

1.4.3. Article 3 sets out the organizational arrangements. Thus the Member States are required to take the necessary measures to ensure that undertaking part of a training course in another Member State is both legally and practically feasible. These components of training are to be treated as an integral part of the national training scheme. This can only be achieved via a partnership between the organization responsible for training in the original Member State and the host partner in the other Member State. Suitable arrangements should be made for supervision. The part of training undertaken abroad must be of a certain minimum duration.

1.4.4. Article 4 sets out the nature, duration, content and partnership arrangements for EUROPASS training undertaken in another Member State. Article 5 is concerned with the job of the Commission, which is responsible for ensuring overall consistency of the measure and links with the Community's vocational training programmes. Article 6 discusses support and flanking measures, for example the technical implementation of EUROPASS training, quality control issues and the promotion of equal opportunities. The appendix deals with technical data to appear in EUROPASS and questions of layout.

2. General comments

2.1. Reasons for the communication

2.1.1. The Committee welcomes the recommendation, as it picks up on current reform endeavours in many Member States and expands them with a view to the European dimension and the transnational exchange of experience. In so doing the document does justice to the wording of Article 127. The Committee considers it all the more necessary for it to deliver its opinion, as the Amsterdam Treaty makes consultation of the Committee on vocational training policy obligatory.

2.1.2. The Committee sees the communication as ushering in a discussion which will be prolonged at both national and European level. The Committee assumes that the brief communication will be supplemented by a green paper, developing in greater detail the issues and requirements set out in the communication and thus facilitating broader discussion and consultation on the questions raised.

2.1.3. The Committee is glad that a thorough study has been carried out of the actual importance of apprenticeship training in Europe. On the one hand the study comes to the expected conclusion that only in some Member States are apprenticeships the dominant component of the initial vocational training system. On the other hand it shows that, in the countries (apart from Sweden) where training has so far been purely academic, reforms have been carried out and investment made in apprenticeship training. The development of apprenticeship training has thus become an issue of European importance.

2.1.4. Against this educational policy background, it is to be welcomed that as a result of this Commission initiative experience of apprenticeship training in the Member States can be more effectively processed and disseminated. This will be useful to Member States seeking to add apprenticeships to their training system. For Member States with a tradition of apprenticeship training the attraction is the opportunity to secure Europe-wide recognition for apprenticeships and the corresponding qualifications and to strengthen the European dimension and the mobility of apprentices.

2.1.5. In this connection reference should be made to the initiative on European status for apprentices announced by the Commission. Apprentices can enjoy freedom of movement only by invoking freedom of movement for workers. It is a regular occurrence, particularly in frontier areas, for apprentices or young people applying for apprenticeships to face difficulties when beginning training or work experience as part of their course in another country. A European status for apprentices would help to remedy this situation. This will also make it possible for young people preparing for a career as skilled workers or technicians or in medium-skill service functions to participate more easily in training mobility and European training programmes. This is important both for the young people themselves and for the firms providing the training.

2.2. Significance for regional and local authorities

2.2.1. Apprenticeship training is strongly characterized by, and differs according to, economic sector and geographical location. It is based on the willingness of firms to become involved in their catchment areas in providing training and later jobs, and that of regional and local authorities to provide schools and to staff and equip these. In this connection, agreements should be negotiated between the local and regional authorities and the firms or groups of firms concerned by the apprenticeship scheme so as to respond as closely as possible to the skills needed by the local economic fabric.

2.2.2. Apprenticeship training will succeed only if a finely woven local network of this kind exists. The participation of regional and local authorities is thus an essential condition and not just an empty aspiration. Necessarily, apprenticeship training is built from the bottom up. Rules must take account of this, for example in not limiting the scope for geographical solutions (for firms and schools).

2.2.3. The study does not pay sufficient attention to this aspect of institutional involvement in apprenticeship training. The Committee calls for this shortcoming to be remedied in the planned future studies. Moreover, no consideration is given to this subject in the communication.

2.2.4. In the Member States with a tradition of apprenticeship training, it is an important instrument of regional economic development, which is known to be driven more by social and vocational skills (i.e. by human capital) than by physical investment. This applies to disadvantaged regions which must create more jobs, as well as to regions with a technological lead. This aspect too is only touched on in the study and not dealt with at all in the communication. In the 1980s CEDEFOP did important pioneering work in this field with a series of regional case studies; this work should now be reactivated. The Committee feels that this subject should be studied further in relation to the geographical impact of vocational training, and particularly apprenticeship training. It is the responsibility of the regional and local authorities to draw attention to the importance of this aspect of human capital policy for regional development, and to provide material support.

2.2.5. It is therefore appropriate to point out at this stage that this issue should be considered in the discussion of the further development of the Structural Funds which is already in progress. Without the participation of the regional and local authorities the European dialogue called for on apprenticeship training and its promotion would be empty of purpose.

3. Specific comments

3.1. Opinion on the call to expand and develop new forms of apprenticeship training

3.1.1. The call to expand and develop new forms of apprenticeship training by increasing the number of training places (above all in growth sectors and new areas of employment) and by the use of new technologies is right. Particularly important factors here are winning over firms (including SMEs) and developing and finding different ways of using schools and other forms of support. Experience in countries with a strong tradition of apprenticeship training makes it clear that a favourable institutional environment in this area is particularly important. It must be made clear to firms that investment in apprenticeships is worthwhile as it will facilitate the recruitment of new workers and adaptation to new technologies, marketing strategies and product innovations.

3.2. Opinion on the call to raise the quality of training

3.2.1. Apprenticeship derives its value from the multiplicity of experiences garnered from its social and work-related requirements, practical qualifications and theoretical underpinning in colleges. An apprenticeship must be founded on a coherent concept of the vocation, rather than a jumble of unconnected skills. Only if this is taken into account can we move closer to the legitimate objective of making apprenticeship training a preparation for lifelong learning. The Commission's intention to open up the Leonardo programme (exchange of trainers) in order to promote this objective is to be welcomed.

3.2.2. In calling for improved quality, the training of training staff must not be forgotten.

3.3. Opinion on the call to encourage the mobility of apprentices

3.3.1. The call for transnational mobility of apprentices is supported wholeheartedly. This is a natural area for European action. The same applies to the collection and processing of information on apprenticeship training in the Member States. The Committee welcomes future proposals for a European status for apprentices which will reduce hindrances to mobility (including those occurring in internal and external frontier areas).

3.3.2. It is still unclear to what extent the Commission thinks that the proposal for EUROPASS-training is sufficient to give apprenticeship training a European status. The Committee feels that the proposal can only be a first step towards achieving for apprenticeship training the objectives set out in the Commission Green Paper on Education - training - research: the obstacles to transnational mobility. In this context, reference is made to the Commission Communication Towards a Europe of knowledge, which refers, inter alia, to the importance of apprenticeship training for promoting knowledge and employment.

3.3.3. The Committee supports the Commission's Draft Decision of the Council on the Promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship because in this way the Member States and the European Community will be required to reinforce cross-border mobility for work-linked training and apprenticeship. EUROPASS-training is a suitable instrument for formally attesting to knowledge gained in the course of training undertaken in another Member State.

3.3.4. It should be considered however whether European pathways is a suitable choice of term. These are not self-contained training courses, as the term might lead one to suppose, but rather segments of a larger training course undertaken in accordance with the training arrangements of the relevant Member States. (Translator's note: the term used in some of the languages, e.g. German 'Bildungswege`, is more specific than the English 'pathways`.)

3.3.5. It is welcome that in drawing up the proposal care has been taken to ensure the highest possible degree of flexibility, e.g. with regard to duration. Only in this way can it be ensured that partners (firms, vocational training institutions, the responsible administrative bodies, the social partners, etc.) can find an appropriate solution.

3.3.6. The Committee points out that training in the host Member State should take place not only in firms but also in vocational training institutions, or a combination of both.

3.3.7. The Committee points out that it is to be feared that small firms may, for a variety of reasons such as the absence of an apprentice when training allowances are paid, participate less in cross-border mobility than larger firms or firms with branches in other Member States. Appropriate solutions are needed to the problems facing small companies. Thus, in Denmark for example, there is a legally guaranteed right to undertake part of a training course abroad, backed by a fund from which the training allowance is paid during the trainee's absence.

3.3.8. As the internal market develops into a single social and economic area, cross-border mobility and training partnerships between firms are becoming steadily more important. Language acquisition during vocational training, the ability to cope outside one's home country, and knowledge of the social and economic conditions of work in other countries are becoming important components of the curriculum for vocational training, alongside theoretical, practical and technological skills. These components of training must also become an integral part of apprenticeship training. The EU's future vocational training programmes must therefore take suitable account of apprenticeship training.

3.4. Opinion on the call to involve the social partners

3.4.1. For the reasons set out above the regions and local authorities must be included in the circle of social partners and responsible bodies.

3.5. Opinion on the Call to move towards real strategies for apprenticeship training

3.5.1. The call for more systematically processed information (including information on regional disparities in vocational training for 15-24 year-olds) is supported, as only in this way can the desired European dialogue be set in motion. The proposed system of benchmarking elicits scepticism, however, in view of the current disparities in the degree of development of apprenticeship training systems. It is also open to question whether Article 127 of the European Community Treaty covers demands of this kind on national education policy.

3.6. Other issues

3.6.1. The question of the status and recognition of apprenticeship training in relation to competing forms of education has not been touched on. Young people having completed apprenticeships must have the opportunity to progress further - either horizontally or vertically. Only then will apprenticeship training be assured of an equal place in the system of continued secondary education and of a future (with a view to the falling birth rate).

3.6.2. Regional disparities in vocational training in general and apprenticeship training in particular have also not been dealt with. The same is true of the role of qualifications in giving an impetus to regional economies differentiated by their strength and local conditions.

3.6.3. The same is also true of disadvantaged people, for whom apprenticeship training - if it is properly adapted - is often a very successful form of training. Other subjects which have gone unmentioned include the qualifications of training staff, the encouragement of preparation for work in secondary education, changing career choices (including those made by women) and issues relating to the social orientation of apprenticeship training. It is a feature of apprenticeship training that it embraces the whole spectrum of work from high technology to less demanding vocations and thus has something to offer to young people with widely differing interests and opportunities.

3.6.4. Further work is needed on the question of qualifications and their mutual recognition throughout Europe, on language learning in the course of training and the acquisition of basic knowledge of European industry and integration. The Committee feels that, as suggested in the study, further discussion is needed of ways of transferring the basic principle of apprenticeship training, a combination of work and schooling, to educational sectors other than initial vocational training.

3.6.5. Against the background of the current discussion of the future of the Structural Funds, thought should be given to the funds' contribution to strengthening apprenticeship training. The regional fund could be used for physical infrastructure and the social fund for training measures.

3.6.6. Another subject for discussion is the situation of apprenticeship training in the Phare and Tacis countries and in the future Member States.

4. Conclusions

4.1. As stated above, the Committee sees the communication as the first contribution to a European discussion of apprenticeship training, which ought to be followed up by a green paper and further empirical studies. It also feels that the Commission's Draft Decision of the Council on the Promotion of European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship can only be a first step towards achieving a European status for apprentices and welcomes future proposals which will reduce obstacles to mobility in this field.

4.2. The members of the Committee are willing to contribute to this discussion, which the Committee considers particularly important for the achievement of the objective of free and effective access to vocational knowledge throughout the EU and the future Member States.

Brussels, 12 March 1998.

The Chairman of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

() COM(97) 300 final.

() COM(97) 572 final - 97/0321 (SYN); OJ C 67, 3.3.1998, p. 7.

() OJ C 182, 24.6.1996, p. 15.

() OJ C 215, 16.7.1997, p. 1.