Quality Apprenticeships Implementation and Return on Investment Guide
Company Case Studies
Equity and Inclusion
A practical guide to building high‑quality apprenticeships that deliver business and social impact.
ROI
0%
average return for employers in the US
Retention
0%
higher than lateral hires, reported by GAN member companies
Productivity
£0
weekly gain per apprentice in the UK
Date
2026
Countries involved
Switzerland
Partners & funders
Global Alliance for YOUth
Funder
What's in the publication
GAN Global partnered with the Global Alliance for YOUth to showcase the value of apprenticeships for employers and young people. The guide translates the ILO’s Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation (R208) into a practical roadmap for employers seeking to design, improve, and scale apprenticeship programs that strengthen talent pipelines, address skills gaps, and support inclusion. Through a five‑phase framework, it offers concrete tools, checklists, and global case studies from leading companies such as Accenture, Bühler, Nestlé, SAP, dsm-firmenich, Microsoft, L’Oréal, The Adecco Group, and more. The guide also helps companies looking to calculate the ROI of their work-based learning programs, providing step-by-step instructions and an interactive calculator.
What you'll get
- A step‑by‑step framework to design, implement, and evaluate high‑quality apprenticeship programs aligned with ILO R208
- Practical checklists covering governance, partnerships, program structure, inclusion, and measurement
- A data checklist: what to track, who owns it, and how to keep it consistent
- An ROI approach and calculator to quantify cost savings, productivity gains, and long‑term business value
- Real‑world examples from multinational companies and intermediaries demonstrating what works in different contexts
Key highlights
- 63% of employers identify skills gaps and mismatches as the main barrier to adapting to ongoing transformations
- Companies benefit from higher retention and loyalty among apprentices, with lower employee turnover relative to traditional hires
- Apprenticeship programs improve productivity and profitability, reducing recruitment and training costs over time
- Around 70% of European countries have policy‑driven measures to increase apprenticeship uptake
- Almost 50% of workers received on‑the‑job training, highlighting the growing importance of work‑based learning
