Developing a training plan

The issue: Why a good training plan is important for quality apprenticeship

The training plan developed by an enterprise sets out how the enterprise implements the apprenticeship curriculum in the workplace, and how the general requirements of the curriculum would be combined with the specific requirements of the enterprise. To ensure that apprentices fulfil all the requirements defined in the occupational standards, the enterprise training plan should provide a complete description of the training to be delivered and the competencies to be developed. More specifically, the training plan should set out when and where different training sequences will be carried out, and identify the individuals responsible for delivering different parts of the training. It should also specify how and when the assessment will take place.

Corresponding to the enterprise training plan, TVET providers should also prepare a plan for off-the-job training that complements on-the-job training at the enterprise. The combination of on- and off-the-job training guarantees that apprentices are work-ready on completion of the programme.

Scheduling of on-the-job and off-the-job training

There are several ways in which on-the-job and off-the-job training can be scheduled (figure 5.2). For example, in Luxembourg, the dual VET programmes (apprenticeships) usually include one to four days per week of training at school with the apprentice trained in an enterprise on the other weekdays. The proportion of off-the-job training is usually greater in the first year and decreases in the following years. Some VET programmes in Luxembourg are also organized with blocks of several weeks of full-time training at a technical secondary school (usually between three and nine weeks) that alternate with blocks of several weeks of full-time training in an enterprise (European Alliance for Apprenticeship, 2016).

Figure 5.2 Scheduling on- and off-the-job training

Source: Authors’ own figure.