2023 joint Cedefop/OECD symposium on 'Apprenticeships and the digital transition'

Theme : Apprenticeships

Summery

Cedefop and the OECD are organising their third joint symposium on 'Apprenticeship and the digital transition', on 15 and 16 June 2023 in Thessaloniki. The event will explore the links between apprenticeships and the digital transition, and their implications for policy-making, bringing together policy-makers, practitioners and researchers from around the world.

The event will be built around papers that present new evidence or offer analysis on the challenges and opportunities that digitalisation already brings or may bring for apprenticeships in the future. Paper presentations will be complemented with presentations by Cedefop and the OECD, panel discussions and Q&A sessions with participants.

Digital technologies have the potential to boost more inclusive and sustainable growth by spurring innovation, generating efficiencies and improving services. Digitalisation and automation, underpinned by advances in robotics, artificial intelligence and other digital technologies, have an impact on employment, changing skill needs and potentially resulting in skill mismatch. They also support the development of new forms of work and learning, such as platform or gig work, remote ICT-based work, distance or blended learning, and crowd learning.
As new or redefined skills may be required, apprenticeships - being closely linked to the labour market - can provide opportunities to develop the right skills for the digital transition, both for young people in initial education and for adults in need of upskilling or reskilling. They can support and encourage the transformation processes triggered by digitalisation, at least in terms of new or redefined training content/learning outcomes. At the same time, digitalisation presents an opportunity for apprenticeships to adjust to new forms of training that are enabled by new technologies.

The symposium will explore the link between apprenticeship and the digital transition in two strands.  
(a) What is the impact of digitalisation on the demand for apprenticeship training (e.g. in terms of new or redefined skills, occupations, programmes, curricula, etc.)? 
(b) What is the impact of digitalisation on apprenticeship training supply (e.g. teaching and training methodologies, training of teachers and trainers to use new technologies, etc.)?   

Information for participants

Pre-registration is now open. Click here to express your interest to attend the event in person.

Agenda outline – March 2023 

Please note that times stated are indicative. The final agenda will be communicated 2 weeks before the symposium.  

Thursday, 15 June: 10.00-17.30 local time 

• Opening speeches 
• Setting-the-scene presentations by Cedefop and the OECD 
• Paper presentations 
• Q&A/discussions 

Friday, 16 June: 10.00-15.00 local time

• Paper presentations 
• Q&A/discussions 
• Panel discussion with representatives from the implementation level 
• Closing messages 

As announced, the organisers do not cover any travel or accommodation costs, but offer: 

• coffee and lunch during each day of the event; 
• shuttle service on specific time from central points in Thessaloniki to Cedefop premises and back according to the symposium programme;  
• special rates in specific hotels, depending on their room availability. 

Information for authors/ presenters

Cedefop and the OECD have received abstracts on both strands following a call for papers. 
A joint Cedefop/OECD panel assessed the abstracts and authors of the most relevant ones were informed to submit full papers. Selected papers will be (a) presented during the 2023 Symposium and/or (b) included in a subsequent joint Cedefop/OECD publication. 

Key steps and dates for authors:

• deadline for draft full paper: 1 March 2023 
• draft full paper review by Cedefop/OECD: 2 May 2023 
• deadline for symposium presentations: 9 June 2023 
• event: 15 and 16 June 2023 
• deadline for full paper: September 2023 (provisional, tbc) 
• expected publication date: January 2024 (provisional, tbc) 

The 2023 symposium continues the joint work of Cedefop and the OECD on apprenticeships. Find out more about our past events and publications: 

• 2021 symposium on Apprenticeships for greener economies and societies, and the subsequent publication of papers 
• 2019 symposium on The next steps for apprenticeship, and the subsequent publication of papers