in such cases technical and vocational education and training institutions may have to take difficult decisions within a context of uncertainty and it would be inadvisable to postpone such decisions onthejob adult learning or informal learning outside the workplace is especially relevant for smes which are less likely to participate in formal training courses it has not proven easy to replicate successful apprenticeship systems such as those in germanspeaking countries in countries that lack the relevant historical and institutional arrangements current technological change entails the additional difficulty of identifying the appropriate companies to work with