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Current EU WBL Context
WBL is a highly debated topic among the EU member countries. In the last year, the popularity of this type of learning combining both class-based learning and learning in the workplace has risen in the EU, as has the conversation about it.
The first issue that needs to be highlighted when talking about the EU WBL Context is the lack of a common definition for the term. Depending on the country and the academic situation, WBL may take different shapes, from apprenticeship to an internship. However, some aspects are common within the EU context:
- Intentional and structured non-formal learning
- Being of direct relevance to the current or future tasks of the learner
- Taking place in a work-based context, that means either in the workplace, in settings simulating the workplace or outside the workplace, but with specific learning tasks that must be directly applied in the workplace
Still, WBL is gaining a lot of importance in Europe, and especially at the EU political level. Since 2011, and later on renewed in 2015, WBL was indicated as an essential objective of the European Agenda for Adult Learning, focusing on its promotion and use inside the member countries. (CEDEFOP, 2015)
However, the reality in WBL is that the current situation in the EU is quite different in member states. While countries such as Denmark, Germany or Latvia show a high percentage of VET students enrolled in a WBL study pattern, other countries like Bulgaria, Cyprus or Slovenia had minimal or no WBL study pattern available for their students. (European Alliance for Apprenticeships, 2019). From these differences it can be assumed that the current EU WBL Context is diverse and in need of much further work, which will hopefully promote a more coherent situation in all member States, and most importantly, will facilitate future students entering WBL studies. In this sense, the European Commission is already working to facilitate said coherence, with actions such as the European Agenda for Adult Learning, which has been previously mentioned.