Across Europe, there are large disparities in the number of apprenticeship placements offered to students in Professional Higher Education. This is partially due to the fact that:a) SMEs may not have the structures in place to take on apprenticesb) The value proposition is not always clear for the SMEsc) PHE Institutions often find it easier to work with a few large enterprises than many SMEsTo this end, the SAPS Project has the aim of:• improving the perception of SMEs of the benefits of engaging apprentices from PHE Institutions• lowering the barriers to cooperation between PHE Institutions and SMEs• establishing more regular and structured cooperation between the umbrella organizations for PHE and organizations representing SMEsThe project will bring European experts in managing apprenticeships together to develop teaching & learning materials for SMEs, including on collaborating with PHEIs, on-boarding apprentices and deriving value out of apprentice placements. It will also create quality guidelines for PHEIs offering apprenticeships to SMEs, covering the areas of governance & strategy, teaching & Learning as well as operations.A 10 country apprenticeship campaign will be organized via a portal (target – 250000 hits) bringing together promotional messages, examples of best practice, information tools, and, critically, a list of contacts of one-stop-shops for starting offering placements, offered by PHE Institutions across Europe. SAPS will increase the supply of apprenticeships by lowering barriers to take on apprentices, both from the sides of the organizations sending and those receiving, as well as by increasing cooperation between PHE Institutions and SMEs. We will improve the quality of apprenticeships by offering guidance to SMEs on how to organize these, and giving PHE Institutions a quality assessment tool. We will improve attractiveness by highlighting the value proposition of offering placements directly.