Topic

The workshop shall have two strands. One strand will present the innovative digital management tool developed under the auspices of the Apprentice Track project. A prototype has the following components: management of identity, apprenticeship design, recording details of placements, assigning and documenting learning activities during placement, feedback & evaluation, assessment and reporting, as well as database of final credentials. The web platform to support the monitoring and evaluation of apprenticeships shall:

• Support digital transformation in PHE institutions (to be also environmentally friendly);
• Establish requirements for students to report progress;
• Assess the progress and implementation of practical training provided by employer and student;
• Create a tool for helping companies easier to understand learning competences under framework of business skills;
• Give students a better understanding of their positions and more opportunities for improvement;
• Promote the benefits (to companies, students, social benefits);
• Provide proof of learning outcomes and present learning outcomes at the core of apprenticeship experiences.

The other strand of the workshop is going to address quality in Work-based Learning (WBL) by presenting the ApprenticeshipQ and the Apprentice Track projects’ results.

Evidence suggests that WBL can be a promising pathway towards better future employment outcomes for young people. Vocational, technical and professional training combined with work placement can improve future employment, earnings and career outcomes for students. Assuring quality is key to securing positive outcomes for all stakeholders of the knowledge triangle (HE institutions, world of work and students). Hence, ApprenticeshipQ focused on approaches to securing and developing high quality apprenticeships/WBL.

In particular, the identified quality criteria, developed manuals and policy recommendations in the project ApprenticeshipQ are going to be discussed in terms of comprehensiveness and relevance. The leading questions are going to be:

• What kind of policy level interventions do you expect to intensify/enable the cooperation of PHEIs and employers?
• What will be the future role of practical experiences during education programmes?
• What needs to be done by each stakeholder group to enable high quality WBL?
• What is your experience with WBL in your home country?