At the end of August 2018, EU-DualS ended after its final conference in Brussels, on August 30th. The project lasted for three years of hard and rewarding work that tried to set the framework for the creation and implementation of a European Dual System for Vocational Training.

Our project looked at the different stages needed to develop such framework, specifically by seeing what parts of the German Dual System could inspire similar solutions in Italy and Spain. Our partners explored and reviewed existing literature and past analysis of dual systems to see in what way they could learn from them. They engaged in workshops with schools, students and companies in the three countries, discussing what trainers and educators needed in order to work with this system. Finally they set up a pilot program of internships for students of professional technical institutes in both countries, who had the chance to work in both SMEs in their own countries as well doing a traineeship of one month in German companies, where they could get a real taste of the benefits of a Dual System.

You can read our analysis in our Curriculum.

But EU-DualS was just the start of a process. We will work to take more steps towards a European Dual System and of a programme for quality internships across the EU. As our good results have already made a mark, project partners have decided to join the European Alliance for Apprenticeships and are already looking at possible ways to repeat this positive experience .

Moreover we are happy to announce that European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME, the project’s lead partner, has created a Working Group for Traineeships and Vocational Training, chaired by its member the European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training (EVBB). The working group aims to support work-based professional training systems in tight cooperation with SMEs, as well as EU-wide mobility solutions for SME employees. Part of its work is also to build upon the project’s results and looks at what would be needed to really move towards a European Dual System for vocational training.

If you would like to stay updated about future developments, you can visit regularly the EU-DualS website, which will be updated with a section regarding the working group, and the website of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME.