Abstract:

Vocational Education and Training (VET) has a recognized importance as a factor of competitiveness and job creation and also as a valuable system of initial education and training of young people, preparing them to perform a specific work with efficiency and quality.

This acknowledgment is having impact in the development and growth of the VET systems, specifically of the Euro-Southern area countries which has been implementing reforms in recent years. Nevertheless, the VET systems of Euro-Southern area countries still show some shortcomings, such as: poor motivation of students/families; mismatch between the training and the productive structures needs; scarce development of apprenticeship practices in enterprises; lack of technical knowledge and experience in organizing apprenticeship practices; shortages of skills among tutors; high rates of dropouts.

Specifically, the EU retail sector, with 60% of the companies in the sector and nearly 18 MM workers (Eurostat, n.º 2993, 2010), is one of the sectors were lack of motivation of students is noticed and where is considered more beneficial to increase apprenticeship practices as part of the training pathway. In fact, the retail sector faces a serious lack of professionalism and an employee loss, preventing the improvement of quality in services and overall sector development. Based on these facts, a more systematic approach to the implementation of apprenticeship practices in the Euro-Southern area countries is needed in order to foster innovation though open approaches to quality, as well as the learning from the experiences of other countries, which have well developed models of the apprenticeship.

Aware of this problem, UPPRETAIL (http://uppretail.eu/) aims to develop and implement a modern, innovative and efficient apprenticeship in the current Retail VET systems of Euro-Southern area countries to contribute to the improvement of quality and attractiveness of VET in these countries and job creation, including the self-employment and entrepreneurship promotion, providing people qualification for full employment and social participation and encouraging lifelong learning.

A consortium of 6 partners from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria and Lithuania is carrying out National reports on the current situation of apprenticeship practices and developing a Comparative analysis with good practices form the German, French, Dutch and British systems. After this analysis a set of comprehensive guidelines and recommendations for developing Apprenticeship practices in the VET systems in Euro Southern countries in the retail sector will be defined and presented in training seminars with VET teachers and trainers, enabling them and the training providers, of improving their actual practices.

These activities will be implemented for a period of 24 months and allowing the development and deliverable of three main outcomes:
• Preconditions of the current situation of apprenticeship in Euro-Southern area countries;
• Comparative analysis of good practices in Europe Apprenticeship Systems;
• Guidelines and Recommendations for Development of Apprenticeship in the Retail sector.

During the development and implementation of the activities, partners will involve the main groups of interest of UPPRETAIL project: VET teachers and trainers, retail sector commerce, VET providers’ centres, VET trainees, VET policy makers and stakeholders, Ministry of Education and Science, employers’ organisations.

Keywords:

VET system, Apprenticeship courses, Workplace learning.