The work focuses on five challenges, with initial direct financial support provided by the European Commission and Scotland (UK) and will be developed and pursued through the following steps:

Analytical work

The main focus of the analysis will be on work placements which allow students to learn through work, develop new technical and social skills (e.g. internships, end of study projects with employers). The precise focus of the study, however, will be agreed with sponsoring countries.

• Desk-based analytical work will review policy and practice across OECD countries on the basis of available evidence. It will draw on cross-national data sources, academic literature and relevant activities within the OECD and other international organisations (e.g. policy experience and good practices documented in “Erasmus+ Support for Policy Reform KA13: National Authorities for Apprenticeships”, the European Work-based Learning TOOLKIT, CEDEFOP VET Monitoring report "Stronger VET for Better Lives and forthcoming mapping of apprenticeships schemes, EQAVET guidance on quality assurance of work based learning in VET).
• The work will build on insights from the OECD project on work-based learning in VET, conducted in 2015-17, and will focus in-depth on issues that arise in the context of school-based vocational programmes. It will also build on the four guiding principles developed by the Education and Training 2020 Working Group on VET (national governance and social partners’ involvement; support for companies; attractiveness and improved career guidance; quality assurance). The precise scope of the work will be defined in partnership with sponsoring countries.

Discussion paper

A discussion paper will draw together the initial analytical work, laying out the key policy challenges, synthesising relevant research evidence, and identifying policy levers. Countries will be invited to review the discussion paper during the 2018 international workshop.

Workshop

All OECD countries will be invited to attend an international workshop in 2018. The purpose of the workshop will be to review the initial analytical work summarised in the discussion paper; provide an opportunity for countries to augment it with experience and with potential policy solutions and innovations; and enable countries to learn directly from each other’s experience.

Synthesis report

The report, to be published in 2019, will integrate analytical work and country experience gathered through the project. The report will provide in-depth analysis of key policy challenges, distil policy messages and address implementation issues, and will be rich in country examples of promising and innovative practices. 

See also:

• OECD policy reviews of vocational education and training (VET) and adult learning
• Work-based learning and apprenticeships
• Adult learning and basic skills
• Unlocking the potential of migrants through vocational education and training (VET)
• VET country reviews

Back to the work-based learning in school-based VET home page. 

Related publications

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Click book cover to read, share and embed on your website the publication Seven Questions about Apprenticeships: Answers from International Experience

Click the book cover to read, share and embed on your website the publication Skills beyond School: Synthesis Report

Click the book cover to read, share and embed on your website the publication Learning for Jobs