The European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA), in close collaboration with Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) is organising a high-level event on the 9 and 10 June 2022. The event is organised in the context of the European Year of Rail (2021) and European Year of Youth (2022). The event will bring together relevant stakeholders from all over Europe to discuss the state of play in the rail sector, key challenges ahead and opportunities to seize in relation to vocational education and training, in particular apprenticeships.    

The renewed EAfA calls for new commitments on digital and green apprenticeships, as announced in the Youth Employment Support package of 1 July 2020, focusing on the economic sectors that will be at the front line of the transition to a climate-neutral Europe.

The EU designated 2021 as the European Year of Rail[1] to promote the use of trains, as well as highlight the benefits of rail as a sustainable, smart and safe means of transport. On top of environmental benefits, a wider adoption of rail as a means of transport will also trigger the creation of new employment opportunities in a sector that occupies almost 1 million people in the EU[2]. The rail sector, however, faces skill shortage driven by innovation and digitalisation and by the estimated retirement of a large share of the existing workforce in the next 10 years. The green transition and the consequent rise of new job profiles will further increase the need for new skills and competences. Active policies are required to up-skill and reskill existing workers and to ensure that future skills needs are met.

Moreover, 2022 has been the designated European Year of Youth[3] in order to engage all young people in Europe’s green, inclusive and digital post-pandemic recovery. Within this context, apprenticeships play and will play a fundamental role in equipping young people with skills and knowledge that will match sector needs and ensure their employability. At the same time, apprenticeships can be a means to ensure mobility of apprentices and workforce through competitive, up to date and shared curricula.