Belgium: A fresh approach to on-the-job training

French-speaking Belgium has decided to conduct a reform of its vocational education and training system. The overall objective of this reform is to guarantee the quality of vocational training programmes, harmonise their structure and reduce apprenticeship drop-outs and failures, while also bringing about a real permeability between the programmes. To this end, an umbrella organisation has been established with responsibility for co-ordinating apprenticeship providers in the various vocational education and training programmes. In addition to this organisation, which will commence its work in 2015, the project addresses all responsible stakeholders in the field of vocational education and training in French-speaking Belgium.

The project contributes to the reform activities in Belgium. Several measures are planned to this end, including:

• comparing the current best practice examples;
• development of measures in the field of occupational guidance;
• study visits to the involved partners;
• exchange of experience regarding vocational education and training programmes and analysis of these;
• creating trust between apprenticeship providers.

The project co-ordinator is the Belgian Centre for Co-ordination of European Programmes. Other Belgian partners are the Wallonian Institute for Dual Vocational Education and Training (IFAPME) and the Commission of the French-speaking Community. Further project partners are the Association for Dual Vocational Education and Training in SMEs (AGEFA PME, France) and the Education Department of the Regional Government of Catalonia (Spain, Catalonia). The Service Public Wallon de L'emploi et de la Formation (FOREM) and the Fondation des Régions Européennes pour la Recherche en Education et en Formation (FREREF) contribute to the project in the capacity of associated partners. Amongst other things, the BIBB will be responsible for organising a study visit to Germany (to the BIBB).