EAfA Champions lead the way to high-quality apprenticeships for a competitive Europe

EAfA Champions are highly engaged EAfA Members, identified through their willingness to promote membership, share best practices and their social media activity. This year, three Champions - Magda Janiak, Ana Zacharian, and Antonio Bonardo - participated in the EAfA High-Level Event, representing their organisations' commitment to advancing high-quality apprenticeships and demonstrating impactful leadership in the field.

Read on to discover the 2025 EAfA Champions!

Magda Janiak, Deputy Director of International Cooperation at WSEI University , Poland (EAfA Member since 2022).

WSEI University in Lublin, Poland, offers full-time degree programmes and vocational training courses to 40 000 students. Committed to giving its students apprenticeship opportunities through partnerships with EU organisations, the university offers language courses, paid internships, graduate traineeships and apprenticeships to support education, training, and research, enhancing graduate employability.

As Deputy Director of International Cooperation, Magda focuses on enhancing international networking and ensuring the university's activities have an international reach to foster collaboration between apprenticeships and employers.

Speaking of the impact the university has, Magda said, "The main mission of the University is to combine a high level of education with a practical approach, supporting our students and later graduates with the skills that are important from the perspective of employers."

Ana Zacharian, inspirational youth trainer and Programme Director at AlbanianSkills-National Association for Skills Competitions, Albania (EAfA Member since 2018).

AlbanianSkills is an NGO that organises national Skills Competitions in Albania and implements projects to promote vocational education, skills excellence, and youth empowerment in Albania, connecting young talent with industry for a stronger future workforce. The association seeks to provide young Albanians with opportunities for skills development, including international learning.

Discussing AlbanianSkills' focus on competitiveness, Ana stated, "The private sector can gain new knowledge and approaches through apprenticeships. SMEs, for example, can learn about digital tools from young people and enhance their competitiveness by adopting these innovations."

Antonio Bonardo, Chief Public Affairs Officer at Gi Group (EAfA Member since 2016).

Gi Group is an Italy based multinational staffing agency and one of the world's leading companies providing services to support employment and the development of the workforce internationally. The company operates in temporary and permanent staffing, search and selection, HR consulting, and training, including apprenticeships. Antonio oversees the group's consulting and training operations in more than 40 countries across Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

As an EAfA member, the Gi Group has benefited from numerous advantages. Speaking of these benefits, Antonio emphasised that "EAfA is a valuable network to get insights, learn about best practices and to implement the knowledge gained. As an EAfA Champion I will continue to spread information about apprenticeships via social media and through public speaking at events. This is the way to prepare youth for the future."

You can learn more about each of the Champions' pledges here.

Are you interested in learning more about the EAfA Champions?

Our latest video introduces the 2025 EAfA Champions and is the perfect way to get familiar with them and their organisations. In the video, each Champion explains how apprenticeships can contribute to a cleaner and more energy-efficient Europe and shares how embracing apprenticeships have strengthened their organisations' competitiveness.

Watch the video today!

Interested in becoming an EAfA Champion?

If you are an EAfA Member and would like to become a Champion, you can apply by contacting [email protected].