Good quality apprenticeships can be a powerful and reliable pathway for people of different backgrounds into education, working life and society. Apprenticeships allow individuals to obtain competencies required to access decent jobs and pursue rewarding careers. For companies, inclusive apprenticeships provide access to a wider pool of talent and create a positive image of the enterprise. The European Pillar of Social Rights encourages Member States to implement quality and effective apprenticeships and calls for reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030. The Pillar also establishes that fostering social inclusion and combating poverty are core values of the European way of life.
Evidence suggests that 91 million people were at risk of poverty or social exclusion before the COVID-19 health crisis. To ensure a fair and inclusive recovery, it will be crucial to engage a range of groups in apprenticeships, including older and young people, persons with disabilities, those living in rural and remote areas, LGBTIQ people, Roma and other ethnic or racial minorities as well as migrants and refugees. However, barriers exist including discrimination and biases in recruitment, insufficient opportunities, such as for people living in rural and remote areas, and inadequate or low quality provision that exclude certain groups, such as people with a disability or migrants with a second language. The European Skills Agenda calls for breaking discriminatory stereotypes and sets out a path towards social fairness and up-skilling for all people, and highlights apprenticeships as an important component in achieving this goal.
This live discussion will examine how apprenticeships can be used as a tool for social inclusion to engage disadvantaged groups in education, labour market and the society as a whole. Key-questions that will be addressed include:
What makes apprenticeships a suitable tool for integrating marginalised groups (e.g. migrants, refugees, early school leavers, and disadvantaged youths)?
What barriers do disadvantaged groups face throughout the apprenticeship process, from recruitment to employment?
How can apprenticeships become more inclusive and better support the different needs of learners?
What are the incentives for companies and VET-providers to become more inclusive?
How can the VET-ambitions of inclusiveness and vocational excellence be pursued at the same time?
The moderator of the session will be Ann Vanden Bulcke, Policy Officer, DG Employment, the European Commission.
The following guests will intervene during the panel discussion :
Ms Therese
Fitzgerald, Technological University Dublin, Programme Officer at Access to Apprenticeships − an innovative programme which supports the transition of young men and women (16-24) from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds into craft apprenticeship
Ms Pavla Kavuloková, SKODA AUTO, Czechia, the SKODA VET Academy has organised Girl’s Days for several years and supports learners from different backgrounds, including apprentices with mild disabilities ;
Mr Sergi Alegre Calero, Director of European Affairs, Fundació Catalana de l'Esplai, Catalonia, Spain − an NGO created in 1984 to promote social inclusion offering training tools and services to educators and teachers, association representatives, environmental trainers, parents and young people ;
Mr André Grabinski, Research Associate, Germany, KAUSA project (“Coordination Agency for Training and Migration”). Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), KAUSA service points offer advice on dual education for young people with a migrant or refugee background.