Traineeships

Traineeships are limited periods of work practice with a significant learning and training component. Quality traineeships can help young people gain practical work experience, learn new skills and find a job. For employers, they are an opportunity to attract, train and retain talent.

In 2024 the Commission proposed an initiative consisting of a proposal for a Directive and a proposal for a reinforced Council Recommendation. The first aims to improve and enforce working conditions of trainees and ensure that regular employment is not being disguised as traineeships. The second reinforces the existing Council Recommendation on Quality traineeships by addressing issues of quality, including fair pay and access to adequate social protection, and aims at improving traineeships’ inclusiveness.

Benefits of good quality traineeships

A Flash Eurobarometer survey in 2023 confirmed that traineeships are an important stepping stone for young people into the labour market:

four in five young people (78%) surveyed did at least one traineeship, and for one in five (19%) their first work experience was a traineeship
seven in ten people (68%) found a job following a traineeship, with more than half of those (39%) signing a contract with the same employer
a clear majority of respondents (76%) overall agreed that during their traineeship they learnt things that are useful professionally

Comparing these results with the results of the 2013 Eurobarometer survey, the situation of trainees has improved overall in the past ten years. But there is still a need to further improve the quality of traineeships, so that they are even more valuable both for trainees and for employers.

Further information on traineeships:

Study providing an overview of remuneration practices for the so-called ‘open-market traineeships’ in the EU Member States (2021)
Eurofound report on the abuse of traineeship status (2017)

2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships

At EU level, the 2014 Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships (QFT) has for the past ten years been the reference framework to promote quality traineeships.

For traineeships outside formal education, the QFT recommends 21 principles that provide guidelines on how to ensure high quality learning content and fair working conditions so that traineeships support education-to-work transitions and increase the employability of trainees.

The QFT also highlights the importance of transparency regarding compensation, health and accident insurance, as well as recruitment policies of traineeship providers. These aspects should be clear to applicants when applying for a traineeship position.

In 2023 the Commission evaluated the QFT Recommendation. The evaluation focused on the implementation of the Recommendation, and its contribution across the EU to strengthen the quality of traineeships. The evaluation showed that:

The Quality Framework for Traineeships has helped Member States implement policy and legislative changes, in particular in countries with less developed traineeship systems. However, there is room for improvement when it comes to the application on the ground.
Various consulted parties suggest that the framework's quality criteria could be strengthened, for instance as regards fair remuneration, access to social protection, in terms of inclusiveness and adapting it better to labour market developments (e.g. remote work).
Some stakeholders also suggest providing better support to trainees, for example through mentorship.
Although more young people appear to be taking up traineeships in other EU countries, the cost of living abroad and the lack of relevant information were identified as challenges for cross-border uptake of traineeships.

You can find more information in the Commission’s Evaluation report as well as the study supporting the evaluation of the QFT.

More information on the implementation of the Quality Framework for Traineeships is available in these documents:

2016 Communication 'Youth Guarantee and Youth Employment Initiative – three years on'
2016 Staff Working Document on Applying the Quality Framework for Traineeships
conclusions from the 2019 Seminar: Creating conditions for quality traineeships
conclusions from the 2017 Quality traineeships in the EU conference

New Commission proposal for quality traineeships

Following the results of the evaluation as well as calls made by stakeholders, in March 2024, the Commission proposed an initiative to further improve the quality of traineeships. The Commission’s new initiative consists of:

a proposal for a Directive on improving and enforcing working conditions for trainees and combatting regular employment relationships disguised as traineeships
a proposal to reinforce the 2014 Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships to address issues of quality and inclusiveness, such as fair pay and access to social protection

The objective of the proposals is that traineeships provide a genuine learning and work experience, which makes it easier for trainees to transit from education to work, or from job to job. The proposals aim also to guarantee more equal access for all who are interested in doing a traineeship. For companies, the proposal aims to offer level playing field and diminish unfair competition throughout the European Union, as companies will not be able to disguise regular employment relationships as traineeships.

The Commission proposal was accompanied by an impact assessment, and backed by a study exploring the contexts, challenges and possible solutions in relation to the quality of traineeships in the EU.

The package is the Commission’s response to the European Parliament’s resolution of 14 June 2023 on quality traineeships in the EU, calling on the Commission to strengthen and transform the 2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships into a stronger legislative instrument.

It is the Commission’s follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe, contributing to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, and the objectives of the European Year of Youth.

Furthermore, it forms an important contribution to the European Year of Skills 2023, supporting training and labour market participation of young people.

It takes into account the views of the European social partners, expressed in the 2-phase social partner consultation, as well as the Review of the European Court of Auditors.

The initiative is now under discussion within the Council, while the European Parliament has also started drafting its report on the proposed Traineeship Directive.

Traineeships under the Youth Guarantee

Traineeships are widely used as part of the reinforced Youth Guarantee, which provides 15 to 29 year-olds with an offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education. Traineeship offers under the Youth Guarantee should use the Quality Framework for Traineeships as a reference.

The report Traineeships under the Youth Guarantee – Experience from the ground looks at how traineeships can be successful learning experiences for young people, supporting them to acquire essential skills for the labour market. The report also presents different measures that contribute to the quality of traineeships and prevent their misuse.

Are you looking for a traineeship?

In Europe

The EURES portal lists traineeships for young people in EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. More information on traineeships abroad, such as rules and regulations and how to move to another country is available on the Living and Working Conditions section.
Erasmus+ supports traineeships abroad for students enrolled in higher education institutions, as well as for recent graduates. Between 2014 and 2024 approximately 890,000 young people participated in an Erasmus+ funded traineeship abroad.
Digital Opportunity Traineeships are offered for students and recent graduates at all levels of education. This scheme, which started in 2018 as a pilot co-financed by the Horizon 2020 research programme, is part of Erasmus+. It gives learners the possibility to develop their ICT / advanced digital skills in fields such as cybersecurity, big data, quantum technology, machine learning, web design, digital marketing and software development . . The scheme has proven to be highly successful, supporting around 76,000 higher education traineeships by 2024.

At the Commission

If you are interested in becoming a trainee in the European Commission, see the dedicated webpage on traineeships in the European Commission for more details.