Lublin WSEI University leader of European apprenticeship community

The European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) initiated by the European Commission brings together institutions to raise the quality and image of apprenticeships across Europe, while promoting apprentice mobility that opens the door to gaining valuable experience in an international environment. Our University has been a member of EAfA since 2022.

The Alliance has launched a new community on higher apprenticeships. The community is intended to unite the labor market and educational institutions in the face of emerging opportunities and challenges, and to enable the sharing of innovative ideas that will contribute to the improvement of higher vocational education.

EAfA communities are centers where members can collaborate and share knowledge. They facilitate the exchange of best practices, the formation of partnerships and the collective strengthening of professional preparation across the Union and beyond. Each working group focuses on specific areas, such as learning mobility, social inclusion, gender equality, green and digital transformation, or the role of cities and regions in promoting apprenticeships, according to the European Commission's website.

The new community on higher apprenticeships provides a new platform for members to engage in discussions, share experiences, and undertake new joint initiatives. The leader of this group since January 2025 is WSEI University, in cooperation with EURES Puglia, the Department of Policy and Labor Market and the Puglia region.

The goals of the community are:

• Enabling active exchange of information and effective networking among members,
• Initiating discussions, debates on key challenges of the labor market and education,
• Collecting and sharing valuable resources, including examples of best practices and results of member projects and initiatives,
• Creating a platform to connect policymakers and practitioners involved in the design and implementation of apprenticeships,
• Supporting apprenticeship mobility in higher education (e.g., through ECTS credit recognition), and promoting flexible apprenticeship models that take into account the specifics of modular education, duration and expected outcomes.

Areas of focus for the community include advancing digitization in apprenticeships, developing transversal skills for a changing labor market, and promoting inclusion, accessibility and mobility.

Members will meet both online and in person to network, exchange ideas, and discuss priorities and share the results of their work with stakeholders.