Lithuania: ‘The apprenticeship – a new opportunity for me!’ joint project to promote apprenticeship in Lithuania

Apprenticeships offer professionals a chance to acquire skills highly sought after in the labour market, as they learn the profession in a real workplace. The apprenticeship path in Lithuania has therefore lately become more popular: in 2020/21 the number of apprentices was 1 243, while in 2021/22 the number of apprentices had already reached 1 375. Some 82% of VET institutions implement vocational education and training (VET) programmes in apprenticeship form. Yet companies are reluctant to offer apprenticeships because of the cost, and the percentage of VET students in Lithuania who study this way, which remains low (4.5%).

The joint project ‘The apprenticeship – a new opportunity for me!’

The aim of the joint project ‘The apprenticeship – a new opportunity for me!’, funded by RRF with over EUR 19 million, is to increase the attractiveness of vocational education and training by intensifying its compliance with labour market needs and encouraging the students of VET institutions to train in apprenticeship form. To this end, it is planned to fund 3 866 apprentices, who have been accepted in full formal initial or continuing VET programmes, to train in companies for a period of up to 9 months.

The apprentices study part of the curriculum at a VET institution, working at the same time under an employment contract at a company. This way they acquire practical skills immediately connected with theoretical knowledge and with the labour market needs. After an apprenticeship contract between an apprentice and a company or institution expires, it can often be replaced by a permanent contract. Consequently, employment of apprentices, who have acquired a work-based qualification, proves to be faster compared to students who acquire a professional qualification in a traditional/non-apprenticeship form. As many as 83% of the former are employed after 12 months, compared to 65% of the latter after 2 years.

Financial support for companies is also foreseen, in order to encourage them to participate in the initiative.

During the joint project, no less than 70% of VET students, who have opted for the apprenticeship form, will train in very small (number of employees up to 10), small (number of employees up to 50) and average companies (number of employees up to 250), and the remaining 30% can choose apprenticeship in large companies.

Apprenticeship and digital transition

The conditions of the joint project funding establish that at least 40% of VET curriculums, implemented under apprenticeship form shall be oriented to the development of digital competences. Digital competences have to conform to the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens 2.1 and 2.2, in at least 3 of 5 competence fields: (a) information and data literacy; (b) communication and collaboration; (c) creation of digital content; (d) safety; and (e) problem-solving. The call for applications will be announced gradually, and the joint project will be carried out until the end of April 2026.

Read more

• The invitation to submit applications to receive funding for the projects of the joint project: ‘The apprenticeship – a new opportunity for me!’ in the companies of small and average business
• The invitation to submit applications to receive funding for the projects of the joint project: ‘The apprenticeship – a new opportunity for me!’ in big companies

• Press release of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports
• Information about the joint project ‘The apprenticeship – a new opportunity for me!’