Launching QUEEN: A Partnership for Quality Apprenticeships
16/04/2025
On 14 April 2025, the QUEEN – Quality Apprenticeships for Evolving Labor Needs project held its virtual kick-off meeting, officially launching this ambitious interregional cooperation initiative. Led by the Agency for the Development of the Empolese Valdelsa, the meeting brought together a diverse consortium of regional authorities and institutions from across Europe committed to advancing inclusive, future-proof apprenticeship systems.
As an advisory partner, EARLALL plays a key role in supporting communication and dissemination activities, while also contributing its policy expertise and facilitating synergies with broader European initiatives, such as the European Alliance for Apprenticeships and the Pact for Skills.
We are also proud to see several EARLALL members actively participating in the project, including the Basque Government and the Regional Government of Tuscany. Their engagement highlights the importance of regionally anchored solutions in shaping resilient vocational education and training (VET) ecosystems.
The QUEEN project aims to enhance regional policy frameworks to ensure that apprenticeship systems are responsive to the evolving needs of the green and digital transitions. The goal is to foster high-quality, inclusive apprenticeships for both youth and adult learners, strengthening the bridge between education and labour market demands.
The project follows a three-step methodology:
- Context analysis – understanding regional apprenticeship systems and identifying improvement needs in collaboration with local stakeholders.
- Interregional learning – exchanging good practices between regions and adapting successful models to local realities.
- Policy implementation – transforming insights into concrete regional policy changes, supported by communication and stakeholder engagement.
The QUEEN consortium brings together 10 full partners and 1 associated partner from across Europe, including:
- Agency for the Development of the Empolese Valdelsa (Lead Partner)
- European Association of Regional and Local Authorities for Lifelong Learning (EARLALL)
- Regional Intermediate Body for European Programs Human Capital Bucharest Ilfov Region
- South Moravian Region
- Department for Development and International Projects of Zenica-Doboj Canton
- Basque Government – Department of Education
- Turku University of Applied Sciences
- Regional Government of Tuscany
- Cork County Council
- Associated Partner: Regional Council of Southwest Finland
Each partner brings a unique territorial focus. For example, South Moravia and the Basque Country are working to strengthen collaboration between schools and employers, while Irish partners explore entrepreneurial pathways for apprentices. Finnish stakeholders focus on employment-driven on-the-job learning, and institutions in Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are improving youth engagement in VET.
Over the next three years, QUEEN will deliver:
- 7 local stakeholder groups
- 7 regional apprenticeship system analyses
- 19 transferred good practices
- 8 interregional meetings (including study visits)
- Multiple good practice events and bilateral exchanges
- Territorial consultations
- Capacity-building activities for staff
- Improvements to 7 regional policy instruments
The physical kick-off meeting will take place in Siena, Italy, in June 2025. The agenda includes:
- Expert sessions on EU frameworks (EQF-EA, ILO 208)
- Discussions on AI’s role in apprenticeships
- Regional showcases, including Tuscany’s dual model and a study visit to a training programme for wine technicians
- A workshop on defining quality criteria
- The first Steering Group meeting and a dedicated communication session
