Listen to the voice of apprentices!

The European Network of Apprentices met last week for the first time to make the voice of apprentices heard at European level.

The topic of apprenticeships is more and more visible in debates about youth employment at the European level. The European Youth Forum welcomes this new focus on apprenticeships but insists on the need to provide quality opportunities for young people and to ensure that young people are part of decision-making processes related to apprenticeships. This network is the result of a cooperation between OBESSU, the European Commission and the European Youth Forum.

For the period 2017-2018, the Network is composed of individuals, who are either apprentices themselves, or are mandated to represent apprentices through their position in youth organisations. The role of the Network has been defined as the following:

• To develop the views of young people on apprenticeships through exchanging experiences and best practices, discussing challenges, sharing information on important educational and employment policies and research developments on apprenticeships;

• To function as an informal consultative body of the European Commission on apprenticeships, particularly for the Commission's European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA), by providing input to European Commission proposals/initiatives, events, EAfA meetings, etc;

• To facilitate contacts between youth organisations and other actors of apprenticeships;

• To develop a concrete proposal for a larger and more consolidated European Network of Apprentices, as of 2019;

• To attend and contribute to meetings of the European Commission and EU Presidencies on apprenticeships and VET.

If you would like more information, please contact clementine.moyart@youthforum.org