‘Apprenticeship’ in the Italian approach to the dual system

Abstract

Since 2003, Italy’s legislation on apprenticeships has regulated a scheme under which candidates can obtain upper- and post-secondary-level qualifications – type 1 apprenticeship – that share features with the dual system of vocational education and training (VET) to be found in German-speaking countries. This scheme has never been extensively implemented, not even in the wake of its latest reform in 2015, which made the scheme part of what might be termed the ‘Italian dual system’. The Cedefop review of type 1 apprenticeship identifies several challenges related to features of the scheme’s governance and design that still hamper its full implementation. In a European perspective, these challenges are common to an emerging approach to apprenticeship, characterised by a lack of clarity about its purpose and place within the education and training system. This may cast a shadow over the educational function of apprenticeships, especially as EU policy is to strengthen their educational value by linking them to schooling and formal qualifications.