The National Assembly once again passes the Apprenticeship Act
The Apprenticeship Act was reaffirmed in May after concentrated efforts by the Government and opens up the possibility of young people aged 15 or older serving apprenticeships in Slovenia. As can be seen from the Apprenticeship Bill, this piece of legislation was formulated in a way that corresponds with the youth initiative policies to reduce employment and social exclusion being pursued by the European Commission. At the same time, the Apprenticeship Act meets the needs of employers, who can now mould an employee’s education around their own needs in the early stages of employment and establish a youthful workforce.
Under the Apprenticeship Act an apprentice is: (i) a student, who is enrolled in a secondary vocational education programme, for vocations that require the completion of an apprenticeship; and (ii) a person, who is enrolled in a part-time study programme, unemployed or employed, whose purpose is to obtain a secondary vocational education, to retrain or to get further vocational education and training. The Apprenticeship Act also provides for a special form of apprenticeship i.e. not only for young people. The rights and obligations attached to these special forms are regulated differently.
While an apprentice is not considered to be an employee, he or she is still entitled to an apprenticeship award (except in some statutory exceptions) and is equal to other employees with respect to the reimbursement of the cost of food and transport costs, temporary duty costs and field allowance. The Apprenticeship Act stipulates that an apprentice can work a maximum of 8 hours per day and 36 hours per week.
The apprentice-employer relationship is regulated by way of an apprenticeship contract, which must be registered with the competent chamber. Employers must meet the statutory requirements before making an offer of an apprenticeship to a potential apprentice. The employer, the competent chamber and the education provider conclude a curriculum, which sets down the practical training and study program that the apprentice will undergo, the training timeframe and method of communication and participation in final exams.
Where an employer violates the terms and conditions of an apprenticeship, the apprentice must first notify the employer of the breach of contract and must urge the employer to desist from any further such action within eight working days from the receipt of such notification. After this period, an apprentice may exercise his or her rights directly before the competent labour court or the competent chamber. Apprenticeship contract and Apprenticeship Act compliance is policed by the Labour and Education Inspectorate of Slovenia.
The Apprenticeship Act shall enter into force 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, and shall apply after six months (approximately as of November 2017).
