Introduction: Rediscovering Apprenticeship -- Competence Development Through Workplace Learning: The Case of the French VocationalBaccalauréat -- The Transition from Vocational Education and Training to Higher Education in the German-Speaking Countries -- Plural Administration in Dual Systems in Selected European Countries -- Creating the Social Foundations for Apprenticeship in Ireland -- Italian Apprenticeship Reform: Impact from National and Regional Perspectives -- Towards Innovative Apprenticeship: The Evaluation of the Development of Integrated Regional VET Centres in Hungary -- The Distinct Nature of Work-Based VET in England: A Reflection of Employer Interests? -- We Need Them, They Need Us: Work-Based Learning Programmes for Young People in the Mediterranean Region -- We're Here to Help: Agencies Dealing with Apprenticeships in Australia -- Apprenticeship in the United States: Patterns of Governance and Recent Developments -- Comparing Two Cases of Training Practice – Implications for Trainers' Professional Development -- Facilitating Learners' Motivation and Competence Development in the Workplace: The UK Context -- Coaching and Collaborative Work-Based Learning in Dutch VET: The ‘TEAMstages’ Project -- Costs, Benefits and Quality of Apprenticeships – A Regional Case Study.

The rediscovery of the value of apprenticeships has been one of the most significant trends in vocational education in recent years, and has prompted an array of research and development projects in countries around the world. In this volume, the renewed interest in the apprenticeship tradition and the various steps towards the implementation of innovative apprenticeship programmes are analysed and discussed from different perspectives. Beginning with a number of chapters that describe recent developments in apprenticeship training in different national contexts, the book moves on to analyze the way in which both the quality and profitability of apprenticeship act in concert as the most influential drivers of innovation in this field. In sum, this book makes an important contribution to the international literature on apprenticeship. It draws together some of the leading researchers in the area, and with its overview of a number of national Vocational Education and Training (VET) projects, provides a body of knowledge on current practices and issues that has previously been lacking in this complex interdisciplinary field. The lessons learned from countries’ experiences, as presented in this book, provide a valuable platform for policy-makers and scholars alike.