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1. Official guidelines on traineeships and apprenticeships

2. Promoting traineeships and apprenticeships

3. Recognition of learning outcomes

4. Funding

5. Quality assurance

Official guidelines on traineeships and apprenticeships

The Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is responsible for apprenticeships policy and collaborates with the professional chambers to develop apprenticeship standards. These chambers also play a key role in legislative processes and are officially consulted on matters concerning the education system and apprenticeships. The connection to the world of work is clearly reflected in the development of curricula, which are aligned with labour market demands.

Luxembourg’s apprenticeship system follows a structure similar to the German dual system, where general education, technical, and vocational theoretical training are provided in schools, while practical training occurs in the workplace for most occupations. 

The regulatory framework of apprenticeships is set by the 2008 law (loi du 19 décembre 2008) and its grand-ducal regulations. This law fundamentally reformed vocational training in Luxembourg. It aims at strengthening the links between VET and the labour market and sets the focus on competence-based and modular qualifications. According to the report of INFPC (2019), the key principles of the reform are the following:
(a) To promote VET and improving VET quality
(b) To ease access to lifelong learning
(c) To strengthen partnerships with the business world
(d) To implement teaching and evaluation methods based on competences
(e) To replace teaching by subject with teaching by units and modules with predefined learning outcomes (competences and knowledge)
(f) To introduce assessment and certification in apprenticeships based on learning
outcomes
(g) To establish training of VET teachers
(h) To introduce ‘adult teachers’ and providing special training for them
(i) To improve collaboration between the state and the social partners.

The law foresees that before beginning an apprenticeship, apprenticeship seekers must register, and training companies must declare their apprenticeship offers with ADEM’s career guidance department, which is responsible for matching candidates with suitable opportunities. Before placement, the department verifies candidates' academic results and ensures that companies are authorized to train apprentices. Participants also have to pass a medical exam and sign a formal contract which stipulates a probationary period of 3 months (the contract is a fixed-term contract which is normally three years). Apprentices are eligible for apprenticeship allowances, which vary depending on the chosen trade or profession, and they receive a minimum of 26 days of legal holiday. The employer has to register the apprentice with all branches of the social security system at the beginning of the contract. Social security for minor apprentices is covered by the social security contributions of their parents or legal guardians.  

Apprenticeships receive financial aid, including reimbursements of up to 40% of costs, as well as coverage of the employer's share of social security contributions for the apprentice, as regulated by the 2016 grand-ducal regulation. If the learning year is successfully completed, a learning bonus is offered in addition to the training wage. Apprentices receive an allowance which ranges from € 800 and € 1 500, depending on the trade or profession being pursued (Chamber of Employees, 2023). Upon successful completion of an academic year, apprentices receive a bonus of € 130 or € 150 per month, depending on the branch of training (INFPC, 2019).

There are two forms of apprenticeships: (1) initial vocational training offered by secondary schools and (2) adult apprenticeships.

Secondary schools offer three different systems of initial vocational training (INFPC, 2019):

1. The concomitant track, where practical knowledge is acquired through a combination of working in a company and attending compulsory schooling
2. A mixed track, which provides both theoretical and practical training at an educational institution during the first year of training, and in some cases, the second year as well (full-time academic year) After the successful completion of the training in the educational institution, the practical training continues in a company
3. A full-time track, where all vocational training takes place at an educational institution.

Individuals over 15 years of age who have been out of school for more than one year are eligible to apply for an adult apprenticeship. This option is available to both adults employed under a work contract and jobseekers registered with the National Employment Agency. The theoretical component of the training is provided by the National Centre of Continuing Vocational Training (Centre National de Formation Professionelle Continue, CNFPC). The practical part is acquired through an apprenticeship with a company authorised to train apprentices (Biré & Waltzer, 2013).

Professional chambers, along with public and private training institutions, offer further training opportunities, some of which lead to official certificates.

The focus now shifts from apprenticeships to traineeships. The 2020 law on traineeships for pupils and students defines  the operational framework for traineeships. It applies to all young people, and all traineeships are regulated by this law. The main elements of the law are the following:

• Traineeships must be regulated by a contract between intern and the employer or educational institution; the required contract content is defined by the law (e.g. tasks, remuneration, duration)
• For contracts with a duration of less than four weeks, remuneration of the intern is not compulsory. If the duration is longer, remuneration is compulsory; the minimum salary is defined by the law
• The maximum duration of a traineeship is 6 months
• Traineeships must have an informative, orientational and educational character and must not be established to replace permanent workforce.

Special traineeships for jobseekers are offered by the National Employment Agency and the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth. There are three types of training programmes (INFPC, 2019):

1. Training for jobseekers who experience difficulties entering the labour market. Orientation and vocational initiation courses are conducted at the National Centre of Continuing Vocational Training. Trainees attending these occupational guidance and integration courses receive socio-educational support and participate in work placement programmes in enterprises. These schemes generally last one year
2. Schemes organised directly for a sector or a company are arranged at the request of employers. Training content is decided jointly with the requester who agrees—on the basis of an agreement between the enterprise, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and the Ministry of Labour to recruit those people who successfully complete the scheme. The length of these schemes generally varies from six weeks to three months, plus periods of work placement. The training course always alternates between periods of formal instruction and practical experience
3. 'Jobelo' is a programme that has been offered by the National Employment Agency since 2013. The aim of this programme is to facilitate access to apprenticeship or employment for young jobseekers without qualifications. Upon starting Jobelo, young people participate in a 2-month training programme at the Socio-professional guidance centre (Centre d'orientation socio-professionnelle, COSP).

The National School for Adults (École Nationale pour Adultes, ENAD) addresses specific disadvantaged target groups and provides assistance to dropouts to help them regain motivation and offer specific trainings with a view to (re)integrating them into traditional secondary school education, an apprenticeship or the job market (see: Formal education: main policy measures on ELET).

Traineeships for jobseekers are an integral part of the Youth guarantee implementation plan.

Promoting traineeships and apprenticeships

The career guidance and counselling services are in charge of promoting apprenticeships (see 3.4 Career guidance and counselling).
The Ministry of Education, Children and Youth publishes and distributes leaflets about apprenticeships that are distributed to secondary school pupils or parents.

The Chamber of Employees (Chambre des salariés) also raises awareness on apprenticeships through other means. It runs the campaign "Apprenticeship 2022 / Start at full speed". The campaign aims at promoting and improving the attractiveness of apprenticeships. The campaigns' webpage presents comprehensive information on opportunities for apprenticeships in different fields. 

The Chamber of Commerce (Chambre de Commerce) also provides information on apprenticeships to facilitate vocational training and to increase young people's awareness of vocational training opportunities. The website www.winwin.lu provides information for both interested employers and young people.

With the Handsup website, the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts (Chambre des Métiers) has been maintaining a website since 2015 that brings together all the offers for discovering, developing, mastering and perfecting the professional skills for a craft profession. Professionals, students and other people can find information about the crafts. The website tries to show the attractiveness of the trades with the help of many videos. 

Recognition of learning outcomes

The vocational training programmes in general secondary education offer three types of completion certificates:

1. Technician's diploma (Diplôme de technicien, DT) which allows the pupil to directly enter the job market or enrol in higher technical education in the speciality field of their diploma
2. Vocational aptitude diploma (Diplôme d'aptitude professionnelle, DAP) which prepares the participant for immediate entry into professional life
3. Vocational capacity diploma (Certificat de capacité professionnelle, CCP) that also prepares for direct entry into professional life but also opens up the opportunity for further studies (master craftsman or higher technical studies).

Adult apprenticeship as well as some of the programmes offered by other training institutions (e.g. chambers, private institutions) also lead to these certificates.

The master craftsmanship certification (brevet de maîtrise) is awarded by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth in cooperation with the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts. The Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is responsible for the recognition of professional qualifications of health professions (nursing aide, nurse, nurse specialist, social worker, physiotherapist, etc.) and socio-educational professions (educator, care assistant).

The Service for the recognition of diplomas (Service de la reconnaissance des diplômes) within the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is also responsible for the recognition of diplomas issued in foreign countries.

Funding

Apprenticeships are entitled to a salary, the amount of which depends on the specific profession. The salary is paid by the employer and supplemented by financial aid from the Employment fund (Fonds pour l'emploi). The financial aid amounts to 27% if the apprenticeship is cross-border, for a technician's diploma, or a vocational aptitude certificate, and 40% if it is a CCP (vocational capacity certificate). The costs for social security are also covered by the Employment fund.
Apprenticeships that are organised exclusively as general secondary educational school programmes are funded by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.
Apprenticeships are also funded through EU programmes. Luxembourg takes advantage of the EU funding schemes that aim at strengthening the national economy and labour market (see: European Funds).

Quality assurance

The regulatory framework of apprenticeships set by the 2008 law aims at 'increasing the number and the quality of trainers' (Art. 1,(2)).

According to the 2008 law, trainers must fulfil certain conditions: minimum 21 years of age, professional qualification (which is defined accordingly by the professional chamber), and no criminal record (Art. 22). 

The law also defines an evaluation system by which the learning outcomes are evaluated on a regular basis by the trainers of the company or the responsible educators at school (Art. 12). 

Furthermore, the chamber offers training courses for trainers ('train the trainer') in order to improve the quality and recognition of apprenticeship.