On 21-22 of June the EAfA (European Alliance for Apprenticeships) conference: Apprenticeships from School to Work – The Italian Case was organised by ENEL group EAfA award winning company in 2017, in cooperation with the European Commission, in Rome (Italy). EfVET was represented by Stefano Tirati, EfVET Vice-President (in charge of Projects) and EfVET Italian members, such as FORMA.Azione srl, Cometa, ENAIP and UNISER, among others. Enel, Confindustria and the Italian Education Ministry introduced the event, followed by a video message of the EU Commissioner Marianne Thyssen responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Two roundtables with EAfA companies and employer representatives, as well as Italian companies explored the employers’ perspective.
Mr. Francesco Starace (Enel CEO and General Manager) opened the conference expressing ENEL commitment to ensure a structural bridge osmosis between education and training and skills acquisition via Apprenticeships. The Italian Education Ministry presented the pilot apprenticeship schemes supported which enabling multinational companies as well as SMES to cooperate with local VET providers implementing quality apprenticeship schemes.
EU Commissioner Ms. Marianne Thyssen responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, addressed the attendees via a video message. She underlined that the European Alliance for Apprenticeship network motto ‘Good for Youth, good for business‘. Even more, she expressed that the apprenticeships and vocational training are a win-win. And that they are good for young people learning new skills, and they are good for companies that need skilled people to remain competitive.”
The presentation about the last EU developments on apprenticeships was given by Mr. João Santos Deputy Head of Unit, VET, Apprenticeships and Adult Learning, European Commission, who stressed the importance of making companies understand that the time when the school system was capable alone to provide answers to all skills needs are over. Moreover, “businesses need to take a proactive approach in apprenticeships to ensure that educational provisions reflect structural and technological changes”, he said.
Cedefop expert, Ms. Lisa Rustico, presented the results of the thematic country review on apprenticeship in Italy. Ms. Rustico, summarized the specific challenges of the Italian Apprenticeship framework. These include the complexity generated by two parallel regimes, at national and at regional level.
EfVET Members newcomers at EAfA network
The conference closed by announcing the 10 new members of the EAfA, including FORMA.Azione and UNISER, which are EfVET Members from Italy. Ms. Sylvia Liuti (FORMA.Azione srl) confirmed the commitment in promoting Apprenticeship among SMEs in Umbria region with a focus on guaranteeing equal opportunities for boys and girls as well as the overall quality of the experience, followed by Mr. Andrea Lombardi (UNISER) who stressed the importance of mobility in apprenticeship programmes. Therefore, by becoming members of EAfA, EfVET members extended their commitment to offer more opportunities for young people across Europe. These two organisations join the more than 246 pledges which have been signed by a wide range of stakeholders mobilising over 860.000 apprenticeships. The European Alliance for Apprenticeships was launched in 2013 to strengthen the supply, quality, image and mobility of apprenticeships. The Alliance is part of the EU’s strategy to combat youth unemployment, as apprenticeships are a particularly effective form of work-based learning that eases the transition from education and training into work.
