Realizing the opportunities of the new world of work reality will depend on building an agile workforce capable of transitioning smoothly to newly created tasks and jobs through appropriate and timely skilling, reskilling, and upskilling. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, apprenticeships are an indispensable component of any strategy designed to address the future world of work challenges. However, apprenticeships need to be modernised and transformed in order to respond to the above-mentioned paradigm shift.
In June 2023, ILO tripartite constituents adopted the Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation (R208) that includes elements to both promote and regulate apprenticeships. The Recommendation defines apprenticeships, distinguishing them from other forms of work-based learning. It includes a framework for their regulation, with defined rights and entitlements for the protection of apprentices. It also defines the elements of apprenticeship agreements, and the actions to be taken to ensure that apprenticeships are inclusive and non-discriminatory. Finally, it lists actions to be taken to promote the expansion of apprenticeships.
As part of the comprehensive Plan of action for the implementation of the Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation, 2023 (No. 208), submitted to the ILO Governing Body, relevant technical agencies have joined forces to organize this hybrid Skills Fair on Quality Apprenticeships, in order to promote this new instrument, exchange knowledge on good practices as well as on forward-looking approaches and technologies to consolidate and transform apprenticeships.
The fair will be a tripartite event, with a strong emphasis on the key role of employers’ and workers’ organizations in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating apprenticeships policies and programmes.
The event is designed to bring together all the key stakeholders that at sectoral, national and international level are working to make apprenticeships a quality, market-relevant and sustainable form of education and training, in order to create solutions to youth unemployment and upskilling and reskilling challenges.
The overall goal of the Skills Fair is to promote Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation, 2023 (No. 208) and to exchange good practices related to the regulation and promotion of quality apprenticeships.
It has the following specific objectives:
A toolkit tailored for employers and workers to promote the adoption and application of the Recommendation 208 on quality apprenticeship, aligning with the latest standard set forth by the 111th International Labour Conference.
This one-of-a-kind event embraces a hybrid format, seamlessly blending the physical presence at the ITCILO Campus in Turin and the virtual realm through a Virtual Fair, using a state-of-the-art virtual event platform. This duality provides a rich and dynamic experience for participants around the globe.
The event will have real-life testimonies in booths and panel sessions: attendees, whether on-site or online, will have the opportunity to engage with real-life testimonies showcased on booths and featured in panels. These authentic stories bring to life the impact of quality apprenticeships on individuals, companies, and communities.
Booth exhibitors will showcase innovative approaches to skill development and learning within apprenticeship programs. Those good practices will be collected after the Fair in a Solutions Handbook.
The fair spotlights "The Apprentice’s Journey," providing a holistic, human-centred view of the apprenticeship experience. The fair shall also foster South-South and North-South collaboration, creating a space of bidirectional learning that ensures that the global community benefits from diverse perspectives, strategies, and approaches.
The hybrid nature of the fair provides attendees with the flexibility to choose their preferred mode of participation. Those on-site in Turin can engage in face-to-face interactions, networking, and hands-on experiences, while remote participants can access the same wealth of knowledge, engage with exhibitors, and join discussions from anywhere in the world.
The "Skills Fair on Quality Apprenticeships" will represent a global platform where key stakeholders converge to share, discuss, and celebrate the transformative power of quality apprenticeships in shaping the future of work. This dynamic event serves as a beacon of innovation, knowledge exchange, and collaboration, with exhibitors showcasing their good practices and insights in the realm of apprenticeships.
The Fair plans to host 50 booths, to be led by different types of stakeholders (non-exhaustive list here below), each representing a crucial piece of the apprenticeship puzzle: