Support for small and medium sized enterprises engaging in apprenticeships: Regional Apprenticeship Alliances for SMEs
Summary
Persistently high unemployment and the education-employment skills mismatch have spurred governments to undertake VET reform to increase the quantity and quality of dual system apprenticeships.
This has generated an excess supply of apprenticeships seekers over employer demand due to SMEs difficulty to afford the staff hours needed to guide/administrate apprentices. This is compounded by lack of information, sectoral mismatches and absence of cooperation.
Today when SMEs face problems related to start up, innovation and growth, they find help in intermediary organizations, such as chambers of commerce, enterprise support offices in local authorities, regional economic development agencies. Nonetheless these organizations are staffed by highly professional business advisors, yet apprenticeships are entirely missing from their service provision.
Eurochambres calls on intermediaries to develop communications for smaller businesses, provide contacts to local VET to deliver practical support and increase quality through train the trainer schemes.
By strengthening intermediaries we can bolster the institutional frameworks to encourage SMEs participation.
Coordinatior: Polnocna Izba Gospodarcza
Contact details: wojciech.brazuk@gmail.com
Partners:
- Polnocna Izba Gospodarcza, PL
- Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Nantes, FR
Duration: 01.09.2016 -31.08.2018
Website: www.apprenticeshipalliances.eu
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