In a recently published leaflet, the European Commission with the OECD and UNESCO presented different Work-Based Learning methods and their benefits.
The European Commission (EC) wants to strengthen and valorise Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Work Based Learning (WBL) to build a skilled and competitive European workforce. A few months after the adoption of a Council Recommendation with ambitious mobility targets for the VET sector (see SwissCore article), and after this sector was named as a key priority by President von der Leyen (see SwissCore article), the EC, together with the OECD and UNESCO, published a leaflet collecting best practices in WBL and explaining the benefits of such learning approaches for students.
They define WBL as “all learnings occurring in a real work environment” that “equips individuals with the skills necessary for their professional development”. They describe and explore the added value of apprenticeships, on-the-job training, internships and traineeships. These WBL options differ in the type of contract, their length and when they take place within the student learning cycle. Apprentices usually follow combined learning both at school and work, and are often given employee status in the company: many countries refer to these configurations as ‘dual programmes’. Sometimes, the practical learning takes place in schools through workshops or laboratories, and some of these training centres may be supplemented by business organisations, as small enterprises lack access to the latest technologies. The Swiss apprenticeship model, where the learner is considered an employee and follows a dual programme, is cited as a best practice for apprenticeships. Most apprentices in Switzerland sign a three- to four-year contract with the employer, typically spend around 75% of their time on the job and receive a salary, even when attending vocational school one to two days per week.
Internships and traineeships are generally interchangeable terms. They refer to periods of on-the-job training, often complementary to educational programmes and are generally shorter than apprenticeships. Traineeships can serve several purposes: they can be a compulsory part a curriculum, an aid for unemployed or inactive people to find a job or add work experience to a person’s previous training to secure a first-entry job. Currently, the most common form of WBL is on-the-job training: this structured training aims to bring new competences into the organisation and is situated in the workplace. External agencies may be involved to offer expertise in designing training structure or to deliver training at external facilities.
The authors of the leaflet consider these different types of immersions in real working conditions as a foundation for building a trusting and beneficial environment for learners, employers and society. Aligning the objectives of these three groups improves employability, especially of less advantaged groups, and encourages joint growth at all levels. WBL also provides employers with guaranteed access to a pool of skilled people, and the opportunity to tailor programmes to their specific needs. According to the authors, WBL further enables learners to update their skillsets, and trainers to improve their teaching methods with current and job-relevant knowledge.
In 2018, the EU adopted the Council recommendation on the European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships (EFQEA) to strengthen and harmonise apprenticeships at European level. It is intended to help the EU member states to set criteria and quality standards for apprenticeships. When the EU adopted this set of criteria, Switzerland was already applying these principles for its apprentices, and it is the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) who is responsible for the supervision and regulation of Federal VET policies and ordinances.