The project objectives are: to review and evaluate the existing systems for vocational education and training including the apprenticeship; to produce an accessible training programme that SMEs can use to help them overcome the barriers to apprenticeship engagement; to develop the expertise and knowledge of those people running the training programme, to assist SME organisations in apprenticeship engagement.

The target groups covered by the project are: micro business organisations, SMEs, young people looking to enter the labour market; VET infrastructure organisations; stakeholders dealing with Not in Education, Employment and/or Training (NEET). The project will seek to import best practice from countries with a proven higher rate of apprenticeship engagement thus facilitating SMEs to recruit and retain apprentices. Having studied best practice it will adapt them to local market conditions and transfer them.

The main activities that will be implemented by BCCI include: analysis of the barriers to SME apprenticeship engagement in Bulgaria; development of a training programme relevant to their needs and its pilot implementation. Best practices from the Institute for Vocational Education and Training of Berlin and the Canadian Association of apprenticeship in building successful apprenticeship programmes will be used for the development of the programme.