Since the Hannover trade fair for industrial technology in spring 2014, Industry 4.0 has become Germany’s synonym for a new industrial revolution based on digitalisation, automation, networking and flexible production processes. More...

The average gross amount earned by trainees in west Germany was EUR 802 per month. This represents a rise of 4.6% over the previous year and is also higher than 2013 growth of 4.1%. In east Germany, training allowances based on collective wage agreements rose by 4.1% to reach an average of EUR 737 per month. As in previous years, remuneration in east Germany stood at 92% of the western rate. The average training allowance for Germany in 2014 was EUR 795 per month, an increase of 4.5% over the previous year. More...

Cedefop Director James Calleja and expert Ramona David presented the preliminary results of the thematic country review of apprenticeship in Malta on 2 March. The Cedefop delegation was invited by the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), an advisory body to the Maltese government on economic and social matters, to present the results to Council members, representatives of social partners and civil society. More...

More and more companies recognise benefits of an international workforce and provide training for young apprentices from southern Europe. In this way, businesses offer young people from countries with high youth unemployment sustainable employment opportunities. More...

In former years, most of the working population was trained within the dual vocational education and training (VET) system. Now, half of all school-leavers pursue academic education focusing on theory. Industry in the federal state of Hesse therefore demands adaptation of the education system to current requirements since it has remained the same for decades. More...

The professional and vocational qualifications assessment law (BQFG) permits informally or non-formally acquired competences to be taken into account when checking equivalence of foreign and German qualifications. As long as the prerequisites for a vocational qualification obtained abroad are met, assessment of equivalence is based on documentary examination regardless of the route via which competences were gained. Under certain conditions, vocational competences may be assessed on an individual basis. More...

European social partners discussed with the European Union (EU) institutions concrete ways to strengthen the social dialogue in line with the renewed EU economic and social priorities at a landmark high-level conference organised by the European Commission in Brussels on 5 March. Cedefop Director James Calleja took part in the conference at which the agency also had an information stand. More...

Dietary restrictions, flexible training schedules, visible symbols… religious beliefs give rise to demands in the workplace, too. Just like in other big cities across Belgium, cultural and religious diversity is part of daily life in Brussels, but is also a challenge for the future. Brussels boasts a multilingual, multireligious population. Almost 10% of its inhabitants are immigrants who came to Belgium less than three years ago. Belgium is therefore a land of self-conscious minorities where each federated entity is a minority that sees itself as being dominated by others. Over the past few years, more and more employers have been faced with workers demanding that their religious beliefs be taken into account. More...

Check out our new video on Italy's vocational education and training (VET) system. It is based on Cedefop's publication series, Spotlight on VET, which is developed in cooperation with the ReferNet network. More...

Reform of training systems under the voluntary European framework for cooperation in training, known as the Copenhagen process, has improved training in Europe. However, the full benefits of the changes made still need to be felt by people and enterprises. More...