European Coalition for Apprenticeship Mobility and EU representatives meet at the European Parliament to discuss the future of apprenticeship mobility

The European Coalition for Apprentice Mobility met last Wednesday 24th of September at the European Commission to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to making international mobility a cornerstone of vocational education and training (VET). Hosted by Renew Europe President Valérie Hayer, the event gathered Commissioners Roxana Mînzatu and Nicolas Schmit, MEPs, EU Commission representatives, and our coalition members from across Europe. Together, they discussed stronger supportive conditions to reach the EU Council’s target of 12% of apprentices and VET learners in mobility by 2030.

Aiming to reach the EU Council’s target, discussions focussed on progress made in the field of VET and apprentice mobility, remaining barriers to mobility at an EU level and the next steps to democratise access to it.

In her opening statements, Commissioner Mînzatu, stressed the importance of VET learning, pointing out a dissonance between VET offer and demand:

“It is a paradox that while Europe suffers labour shortages in sectors that are many times about VET professions, we still see a deficit in the number of graduates in VET education”.

MEP Valérie Hayer agreed and highlighted the strategic importance of apprentice and VET mobility for the European labour market:

“If we want to stay competitive, we need skilled people. That is why apprentice mobility should be right at the top of our priorities”.

Entering the core of the discussions, the Commissioner highlighted the social advantages of mobility and their role in creating a European identity:

“It’s not just about skills for the labour market, but also skills for citizenship”.

Indeed, as DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture representative Jacqueline Pacaud later noted,

“98% of all [Erasmus+] participants report that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their mobility, and around 90% mentioned that this experienced has increased their sense of belonging to Europe”.

After these opening remarks, coalition members took the floor to talk about their work, and its importance for apprentices. Robert Stolzenberg from Bavaria’s Institute for School Quality and Education Research gave a personal anecdote:

“Yesterday I saw a group of vocational students on a train in Stuttgart going to France. When I listened to them, this was not just a train trip to France, but a rocket trip to the moon. They were so scared, so excited. It just a complete other impact that you make if you work on vocational education.”

Coalition members then mentioned difficulties they faced while developing international mobilities. The main issues mentioned were the recognition of mobilities, the irregularity of legal frameworks, and the upcoming multiannual financial framework (MFF) of the EU.

“The legal framework is unclear – unlike France, in Italy, VET training is a regional responsibility”, highlighted Rita Festi from Italy’s Scuola Centrale di Formazione.

While the next MFF anticipates a 50% increase in Erasmus funding, coalition members and EU representatives agreed this was not sufficient to guarantee the desired expansion of international mobilities. Ms Pacaud noted that:

“While the annual budget in Erasmus+ for VET been in increasing since 2021, the demand has largely exceeded the budget available”, she said. “We must ensure that every learner who wishes to go on a mobility can do so.” .

Pavlina Krouzkova from Erasmus+ Czechia added that:

“If you compare the MFF of 2028-2034 to the last one, the share of budget allocated to Erasmus is smaller”.

In response to these concerns, Commissioner Mînzatu reaffirmed her support for the mobility of VET learners and apprentices:

“We work with colleagues from the Parliament so that we have a big budget overall, and the biggest possible for Erasmus as well”, she said. “Count on me be a strong supporter of VET, of improving the situation of apprentices and of their mobility”.

Given that VET learners and apprentices must balance commitments to school and work, any mobility they wish to embark on must be agreed upon by both parties. Given this additional layer of complexity, it is ever more crucial that institutional actors contribute to formalising these processes, getting both students and employer onboard.

As Ms Festi mentioned, rendering VET and apprenticeships sufficiently compatible for exchanges at a European level is even more challenging. This is because VET and apprenticeship policy is specific to each country, or sometimes even to regions.

This is why the coalition’s diverse membership is even more crucial. Bringing together regional governments, VET providers, business organisations and Erasmus+ offices, it puts the concerned actors in contact with each other.

Through its actions, the coalition aims to contribute to the EU Council’s 12% target. So far, the coalition’s members have organised more than 20,000 apprenticeship mobilities in 2024, notably thanks to EU-funded Erasmus+. As a network of mobility support bodies, the coalition aims to further enhance apprentice mobility across Europe. It will focus on 3 main tenets:
– designing comprehensive mobility projects with recognised learning outcomes
– improving the training and resources of mobility coordinators thanks to networks of mobility support bodies
– advocating for funding and supportive legal frameworks specific to VET and apprentice mobility