Skills Fair on Quality Apprenticeships

From the 27-29 February 2024, 229 participants from 59 different countries and 29 booth exhibitors (governments, EBMOs, workers’ organizations, NGOs, projects, public institutions and educational providers) gathered in ITCILO campus for the Skills Fair on Quality Apprenticeships. Furthermore, 600 participants joined online the Fair.

If you did not have the chance to attend, you can read the publication 2024 QUALITY APPRENTICESHIPS Skills Fair conclusions curated by the European Training Foundation. Here you will be able to find a summary of the event’s main outcomes, statements by the organizers and interviews to participants.

Realizing the opportunities of the new world of work reality will depend on building an agile workforce capable of transitioning smoothly to newly created tasks and jobs through appropriate and timely skilling, reskilling, and upskilling. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, apprenticeships are an indispensable component of any strategy designed to address the future world of work challenges. However, apprenticeships need to be modernised and transformed in order to respond to the above-mentioned paradigm shift.

In June 2023, ILO tripartite constituents adopted the Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation (R208) that includes elements to both promote and regulate apprenticeships. The Recommendation defines apprenticeships, distinguishing them from other forms of work-based learning. It includes a framework for their regulation, with defined rights and entitlements for the protection of apprentices. It also defines the elements of apprenticeship agreements, and the actions to be taken to ensure that apprenticeships are inclusive and non-discriminatory. Finally, it lists actions to be taken to promote the expansion of apprenticeships.

As part of the comprehensive Plan of action for the implementation of the Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation, 2023 (No. 208), submitted to the ILO Governing Body, relevant technical agencies have joined forces to organize this hybrid Skills Fair on Quality Apprenticeships, in order to promote this new instrument, exchange knowledge on good practices as well as on forward-looking approaches and technologies to consolidate and transform apprenticeships.

The fair was a tripartite event, with a strong emphasis on the key role of employers’ and workers’ organizations in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating apprenticeships policies and programmes.

The event was designed to bring together all the key stakeholders that at sectoral, national and international level are working to make apprenticeships a quality, market-relevant and sustainable form of education and training, in order to create solutions to youth unemployment and upskilling and reskilling challenges.

• The Fair targeted policy-makers that are active in the domain of apprenticeships, such as Ministries of Labour and of Education and TVET/Skills Development, as well as National TVET- and Skills-focused Agencies, Public and Private Training Providers, Employers’ and Business Membership Organizations and Workers’ organizations.
• Key persons in charge of the topic within Regional Organizations were invited to share their experiences and approaches. Training providers and companies - including Multi-National Enterprises - directly engaged in apprenticeships are expected to be key attendees of the event. Intermediaries who are playing a vital role in coordinating, supporting or assisting in the provision of an apprenticeship were invited to attend the event and contribute to it. Within the overall business participation, particular attention was paid to the presence of informal economy representatives, to strengthen the upgrading trajectories of informal apprenticeships.
• The event involved apprentices, TVET institutions’ trainees and representatives of youth organizations and networks as participants and as speakers, in order to foster youth engagement on the topic and enable a human-centred approach to the Fair’s discussions and plans for the future.
• Development partners were targeted by the Fair, with the double objective to share experiences that have been supported in the various jurisdictions as well as to indicate potential avenues for collaboration to foster International, regional and national cooperation in the spirit of R208. The event targeted UN agencies that are active in the field of apprenticeships, global and regional development banks, EU institutions and specialized agencies.
• Networks of apprenticeship-focused organizations and institutions, such as the European Alliance for Apprenticeships and national and international groups and networks of apprentices were welcomed to share their experiences.

The overall goal of the Skills Fair was the promotion of Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation, 2023 (No. 208) and to exchange good practices related to the regulation and promotion of quality apprenticeships.

It had the following specific objectives:

• Promote the Adoption of Quality Apprenticeships: Raise awareness of and advocate for the adoption of quality apprenticeships as an effective strategy to address the challenges of the future world of work;
• Policy Advocacy: Engage policymakers from Ministries of Labour and Education, TVET/Skills Development agencies, social partners, and Regional Economic Communities in discussions to shape policy approaches to apprenticeships;
• Exchange Good Practices: Facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practices among participants related to apprenticeships, including their context and innovative elements;
• Foster Bipartite and Tripartite Collaboration: Encourage collaboration among social partners and between them and the Governments, with a particular focus on the key role of employers' and workers' organizations in reviewing regulatory frameworks, designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating apprenticeship policies and programmes;
• Meaningful Youth Engagement: Foster youth engagement by involving apprentices, trainees, and representatives of youth groups in discussions and plans for the future, ensuring that apprenticeships interventions (at both policy and programme levels) are informed, relevant and appropriate both to the needs of young people and to transforming societies;
• Rights-based approach to apprenticeships: Promoting a rights-based approach to apprenticeships programmes by ensuring the protection of apprentices' rights and entitlements;
• Inclusivity and Non-Discrimination: Highlight the importance of making apprenticeships inclusive and non-discriminatory;
• International Collaboration: Create opportunities for international, regional, and national collaboration to strengthen apprenticeship initiatives and combat stigma against apprenticeships, in line with the ILO's Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation (R208) and other regional recognized frameworks such as the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships;
• Network Building: Facilitate the building of networks and partnerships among various stakeholders, including development partners, UN agencies, global and regional development banks, and apprenticeship-focused organizations and institutions.
• Knowledge Dissemination: Disseminate knowledge and forward-looking approaches related to apprenticeships, including technologies and innovations that can transform and modernize apprenticeship programs.

A toolkit tailored for employers and workers to promote the adoption and application of the Recommendation 208 on quality apprenticeship, aligning with the latest standard set forth by the 111th International Labour Conference.

This one-of-a-kind event embraced a hybrid format, seamlessly blending the physical presence at the ITCILO Campus in Turin and the virtual realm through a Virtual Fair, using a state-of-the-art virtual event platform. This duality provided a rich and dynamic experience for participants around the globe.

The event included real-life testimonies in booths and panel sessions: attendees, on-site or online, had the opportunity to engage with real-life testimonies showcased on booths and featured in panels. These authentic stories brought to life the impact of quality apprenticeships on individuals, companies, and communities.

Booth exhibitors showcased innovative approaches to skill development and learning within apprenticeship programs.

The fair spotlighted "The Apprentice’s Journey," providing a holistic, human-centred view of the apprenticeship experience. The fair also fostered South-South and North-South collaboration, creating a space of bidirectional learning that ensured that the global community benefits from diverse perspectives, strategies, and approaches.

The hybrid nature of the fair provided attendees with the flexibility to choose their preferred mode of participation. Those on-site in Turin engaged in face-to-face interactions, networking, and hands-on experiences, while remote participants accessed the same wealth of knowledge, engaged with exhibitors, and joined discussions from anywhere in the world.

The "Skills Fair on Quality Apprenticeships" represented a global platform where key stakeholders converged to share, discuss, and celebrate the transformative power of quality apprenticeships in shaping the future of work. This dynamic event served as a beacon of innovation, knowledge exchange, and collaboration, with exhibitors showcasing their good practices and insights in the realm of apprenticeships.

The Fair hosted 29 booths from various regions, led by different types of stakeholders, each representing a crucial piece of the apprenticeship puzzle:

• Employer and Business Membership Organizations (EBMOs) and Companies’ networks
• Workers' Organizations
• Governments
• Learning Tool Providers
• Intermediaries
• Training providers and their networks
• Apprenticeship-oriented NGOs and Civil Society Organizations
• Corporate Multinationals
• Country Booths
• Bilateral and Multilateral Institutions