On 15 October 2026, at the close of the TEAA conference (Towards the European Apprenticeship Area), the Euro App Mobility partners adopted the joint declaration “Towards the European Apprenticeship Area.” Meeting at the Centre Pierre Mendès France in the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, during the Erasmus Days and under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, they affirmed their commitment to promoting the international dimension of apprenticeship pathways.
Drawing on the lessons of the Mona pilot programme, the declaration takes stock of the international mobility of apprentices, highlights the obstacles that remain, and sets out seven recommendations addressed to all stakeholders involved.
Compelling results: mobility as a driver of success for apprentices and companies
The declaration builds first on the results of Mona (Mon apprentissage en Europe, “My apprenticeship in Europe”). Thanks to the Erasmus+ programme, the 20,000 apprentices who went abroad under this scheme discovered other professional practices and gained transversal and language skills. Training centres found it a lever for transforming their teaching, and employers an asset for attracting and showcasing talent, at a time of skilled labour shortages across Europe.
The diagnosis is clear: long-term mobility of at least two months strengthens young people’s professional and personal potential, business competitiveness and economic growth. It also brings European values to life. And contrary to some common assumptions, it is achievable.
The text was also enriched by proposals from employers committed to the internationalisation of apprenticeships, and from European apprentices who met the day before at the FIAP Jean Monnet. The apprentices set out their recommendations in a separate document, the Apprentices’ Declaration.
Their main messages include:
- Financial conditions: they stress that a better-funded Erasmus+ grant supports higher-quality cultural immersion, and call for improved access to transport and housing.
- Skills and employers: they recommend that every mobility be prepared in advance, in close cooperation with the apprentice training centre (CFA) and the companies, and that former apprentices share their experiences to inspire those who follow.
- Languages and cultural differences: they report that mobility helps them step out of their comfort zone and gain both skills and confidence, and propose creating practical information tools and platforms for sharing experiences.
- Professional development: they call for placements to match each apprentice’s trade as closely as possible.
Four areas of concern
While momentum is building, the declaration identifies four areas that require specific responses:
- Access for apprentices at levels 3, 4 and 5, which requires joint support from training providers, employers and public authorities to overcome young people’s hesitations;
- Cooperation between mobility stakeholders, which must be stepped up to better connect European ecosystems;
- Reciprocity, by raising awareness of training systems across borders in order to balance outgoing and incoming mobility and foster the recognition of qualifications;
- Convergence of national legal frameworks, to make it easier to open pathways internationally.
Finally, the declaration emphasises that the European Apprenticeship Area depends on employer buy-in, and calls for the momentum created by the Employers’ Clubs to be structured at European level.
Seven recommendations for the European Apprenticeship Area
The signatories call for:
- The professionalisation of, and support for, staff responsible for apprentice mobility;
- Close cooperation among all stakeholders across borders, following the example of the European Coalition for Apprentice Mobility (ECAM);
- The roll-out of employers’ clubs for apprentice mobility across European countries and regions;
- The recognition of learning outcomes from mobility when certifications and diplomas are awarded in the home country;
- Convergence of national frameworks to facilitate outgoing and incoming mobility, particularly for levels 3, 4 and 5;
- Sufficient Erasmus+ funding under the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework to reach the European target of 12%;
- Recognition of the international mobility of apprentices in the future European strategy for vocational education and training.
A European moment to seize
The declaration comes at a favourable time: the European Commission’s ambition for a “Union of Skills,” and the Council Recommendation “Europe on the Move” of 13 May 2024, which aims for 12% of vocational learners to take part in mobility by 2030. All these developments call for a genuine European strategy for vocational education and training.
As the declaration puts it, international mobility empowers apprentices; rolling it out is a matter of will.
Below you will find the full text of the joint declaration “Towards the European Apprenticeship Area,” as well as the Apprentices’ Joint Statement, the contribution of European apprentices.
