COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Quality Framework for Traineeships Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Towards a job-rich recovery
Date: 2012-04-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, job access, labour mobility, professional experience, student mobility, traineeship, youth unemployment

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Strasbourg, 18.4.2012  
SWD(2012) 99 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Quality Framework for Traineeships 

Accompanying the document 

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the 
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions  

Towards a job-rich recovery 

{COM(2012) 173 final} 
{SWD(2012) 90 final} 
{SWD(2012) 92 final} 
{SWD(2012) 93 final} 
{SWD(2012) 95 final} 
{SWD(2012) 96 final} 
{SWD(2012) 97 final} 
{SWD(2012) 98 final} 
{SWD(2012) 100 final} 

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COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Quality Framework for Traineeships 

Accompanying the document 

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the 
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions  

Towards a job-rich recovery 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Scope of the framework ............................................................................................... 4 

Regulation and organisation of traineeships in the Member States ............................. 5 

Towards a quality framework for traineeships............................................................. 8 

The way forward ........................................................................................................ 10 

Disclaimer: This document is a European Commission staff working document for 
information purposes. It does not represent an official position of the Commission on 
this issue, nor does it anticipate such a position. 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The rise of unemployment among young people (aged 15-24) has been dramatic: since 2008, 
the total number of young unemployed in the EU has increased by one million. There are now 
over five million young people in the EU-27 under the age of 25 who cannot find a job. 

In this context traineeships can have a key role in increasing the access of young people to the 
labour market. Traineeships can bridge the gap between the theoretical knowledge gained in 
education and the skills and competences needed at a workplace and in this way increase to 
chances of young people to find a job.  

Nevertheless,  traineeships  in  some  cases  do  not  play  the  role  they  should:  for  several  years 
now,  concerns  have  been  raised  about  the  quality  of  traineeships.  For  instance,  the 
organisations  'Génération  précaire'1  in  France  and  ‘Generation  Praktikum’2  in  Austria  have 
expressed serious concerns that traineeships may be abused as a source of cheap or free labour 
by employers that in many cases fail to provide the first step towards decent and sustainable 
work. This situation it is argued can in turn lead to a vicious circle of precarious employment 
and  insecurity.  In  some  Member  States  young  people  have  set  up  initiatives  for  improving 
transparency  of  traineeships.3  In  2010  the  European  Parliament  adopted  an  own-initiative 
report on 'Promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and 
apprenticeship status'4, calling upon the Commission to propose a European quality charter on 
internships,  to  provide  statistics  on  internships  and  to  produce  a  comparative  study  on  the 
different internship schemes existing in the Member States.  

Most recently the European Youth Forum has presented a proposal for a European Internship 
Charter5, based upon an online consultation among young people. Results of the consultation 
suggest  that  in  many  countries  the  learning  dimension  of  traineeships  has  been  decreasing, 
with trainees being asked to undertake tasks which do not contribute to the advancement of 
their professional development. 

The  Commission  has  recognised  the  need  to  address  these  concerns.  As  a  response,  the 
Europe  2020  flagship  initiative  'Youth  on  the  Move'6  issued  in  2010  announced  that  the 
Commission would propose a quality framework for traineeships including their transnational 
dimension, the role of the social partners and corporate social responsibility related aspects. In 
line  with  this  commitment  Member  States  in  their  Council  Conclusions  on  Youth 
Employment of June 2011 invited the Commission to provide guidance on conditions for high 
quality traineeships by means of a quality framework for traineeships7.  

In  light  of  the  further  deterioration  of  youth  access  to  the  labour  market,  the  Commission 
launched the ’Youth Opportunities Initiative’8 in December 2011. One of the main actions 

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www.generation-precaire.org 
www.generation-praktikum.at 
E.g in Italy, see www.reppublicadeglistagisti.it 
Rapporteur: Ms Emilie Turunen MEP, EP 2009/2221(INI), 14.06.2010. 
www.qualityinternships.eu 
COM(2010)477 final, 15.09.2010. 
Council Conclusions 11838/11 ‘Promoting Youth Employment to achieve the Europe 2020 objectives’; 
17.06.2011. 
COM(2011)933final, 20.12.2011. 

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of the initiative concerns  the Commission’s support for  Member States to use the European 
Social Fund more efficiently, among others for supporting traineeship places, as is already the 
case  in  some  countries.  In  addition,  Commission  support  to  high  quality  transnational 
traineeships under the Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci programmes will be increased in the 
remaining current programming period and a further increase of the budget will be proposed 
in the "Erasmus for All" programme starting in 2014. The Youth Opportunities Initiative also 
confirms prior Commission commitments to present a quality framework for traineeships in 
2012. 

Based  upon  the  above  and  acknowledging  that  the  provision  of  high  quality  traineeships 
requires the involvement of all relevant actors, enterprises in the first place, but also national 
authorities, social partners and representatives of youth and trainees, DG Employment, Social 
Affairs and Inclusion submits for consultation to all stakeholders this position paper. The aim 
is  to  build  the  necessary  consensus  for  a  common  recognition  of  a  quality  framework  on 
traineeships  taking  the  form  of  a  Council  recommendation  to  be  adopted  before  the  end  of 
2012,  as  pointed  out  in  Commission  Communication  'Towards  a  jobs-rich  recovery'9.  This 
staff working document commits only DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and not 
the Commission as a whole. The information contained in this document is only intended for 
consultation purposes and does not purport to represent or prejudge the final position that the 
Commission will take in relation to the topic covered. 

2. 

SCOPE OF THE FRAMEWORK 

There is no common European definition of traineeships and confusion often arises between 
the  terms  traineeships,  internships  and  apprenticeships.  For  the  purpose  of  the  present 
initiative only the term 'traineeships' will be used, with the understanding that this refers to: 

a work practice including an educational component (either as part of a study curriculum or 
not) which is limited in time. The purpose of these traineeships is to help the trainee's 
education to work transition by providing the practical experience, knowledge and skills that 
complete his/her theoretical education. 

This  initiative  therefore  concentrates  primarily  on  traineeships  that  are  part  of  higher 
education  programs,  as  well  as  (generally  postgraduate)  traineeships  that  involve  only  the 
trainee  and  the  employer.  Transnational  traineeships  are  also  included  in  the  scope  of  this 
initiative but it will not cover apprenticeships.  

Although an apprenticeship has similar objectives as a traineeship described above, it is rather 
a  systematic,  long-term  training  of  a  technical  occupation  with  alternating  periods  at  the 
workplace  and  in  an  educational  institution  or  a  training  centre.  Moreover,  in  relation  to 
apprenticeships,  the  employer  assumes  responsibility  for  providing  the  training  leading  to  a 
specific occupation.  

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COM(2012)173final, 18.04.2012. 

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3. 

REGULATION AND ORGANISATION OF TRAINEESHIPS IN THE MEMBER STATES 

As  part  of  a  pilot  project  initiated  by  the  European  Parliament,  the  Commission  has 
commissioned a study on a ’comprehensive overview of traineeship arrangements in Member 
States’ (referred to hereafter as 'the study').  

This  study  will  be  available  in  May  2012  and  shall  provide  a  first  full  insight  into  relevant 
national policies and legislative frameworks, the supply, content and quality of traineeships. 
The main preliminary findings are set out below.  

Overview of level of national legislation 

In a large number of Member States there are either no regulations which explicitly address 
traineeships, or they are very limited, eventually included within other – typically education 
and training related – legislation10. Across the Member States that have a specific legislation, 
the common defining characteristics of traineeships are: (i) the general educational purpose; 
(ii) the practical element of learning; (iii) their temporary character. 

Traineeships  integrated  in  (higher)  education  curricula  are  generally  more  regulated. 
Traineeships  offered  on  an  ad-hoc  basis  by  employers  and  taken  up  by  young  people  after 
graduation on a voluntary basis tend to be less regulated.  

In Member States where there are formal measures in place, the rules to ensure the quality of 
traineeships mainly concern: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Pay 

social security coverage 

access to & quality of training 

trainee work experience 

risk of replacing regular staff.  

training 

professional 

For  specific  professions  where  the  completion  of  compulsory  traineeships  is  part  of  the 
mandatory 
education, 
architecture/engineering) regulations are developed by professional associations in almost all 
Member  States.  However,  even  these  regulations  do  not  always  provide  a  guarantee  for  the 
quality of the traineeships. Italy for example stands out for its highly regulated framework for 
liberal  professions,  but  in  practice  the  way  traineeships  take  place  differs  widely  from  the 
legal provisions. 

(typically  medicine/nursing, 

law, 

Overview of access to / availability of traineeships 

Across the European Union an increasing focus is being placed on traineeships and practical 
work experience as key tools to help young unemployed or young graduates in their transition 
to  work11.  In  Southern  and  Eastern  Europe  these  schemes  are  often  (at  least  partially) 

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E.g. in AT, CY, CZ, DE, EL, IE, LU, MT, PL, PT, SK, UK. 
E.g. BE, CY, DK, EE, EL, ES, IE, FI, FR, HU, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PT, PL, SE, UK. 

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supported  by  the  European  Social  Fund.  Many  of  these  aim  at  increasing  the  take  up  of 
traineeships through subsidies to employers, contribution towards social security payments or 
providing compensation and allowances directly to trainees. 

In  general  there  is  a  strong  push  towards  integrating  traineeships  and  practical  work  placed 
training into study curricula, either compulsory or optional. In these types of traineeships the 
monitoring  and  quality  assurance  is  often  ensured  by  the  educational  institutions,  the  clear 
learning objectives and the more motivated companies. However there is a shortage of such 
placements  due  to  weak  links  between  educational  systems  and  the  labour  market,  and  the 
difficulties of SMEs in mobilising internal resources in order to manage and mentor trainees. 
On the other hand, in some countries employers are concerned that the educational system is 
unable to meet their skills needs (EL, LV, RO, UK). This clearly calls for the need to enhance 
partnerships between businesses and education institutions in order to increase the number of 
traineeships as part of study curricula. 

Work placements abroad are a specific form of traineeships. The Eurobarometer Youth on the 
Move (2011) shows that transnational learning helps young people become familiar with and 
adapt to the requirements of the EU labour market, developing not only language and specific 
professional  and  vocational  skills  but  also  the  "soft  skills"  such  as  team  working,  self-
confidence  and  adaptability  which  are  considered  crucial  for  a  successful  transition  from 
education to work.  

The  recently  adopted  EU  benchmark  for  learning  mobility12  sets  ambitious  targets;  at  least 
20% of higher education and 6% of initial vocational education and training graduates should 
have  had  a  period  of  study  or  training  (including  work  placements)  abroad  by  2020.  This 
benchmark  cannot  be  reached  by  the  EU  programmes  alone,  but  will  need  considerable 
support through national actions. It is therefore crucial to ensure that these traineeships are of 
good quality, providing relevant learning opportunities.  

A recent study commissioned by the Commission13 confirms the need for action to facilitate 
transnational mobility of trainees. Priorities identified by the study refer to the need for further 
clarifying  the  contextual,  legal  and  regulatory  differences  between  Member  States  which 
affect  transnational  traineeships,  improving  access  to  information  and  introducing  more 
concrete requirements and criteria for the overall organisation of traineeships abroad. 

12 
13 

Council Conclusions on a Benchmark for Learning Mobility: 2011/C372/08 OJ 20.12.2011. 
Study on a possible framework to facilitate transnational mobility for placements at enterprises, GHK 
for the European Commission, April 2011. 

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Main gaps / issues for concern related to the quality of traineeships 

With regard to the quality of traineeships, questionable practices are reported across Member 
States,  with  little  variation  by  types  of  regulatory  regime.  The  main  concerns  across  all 
Member States relate to: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

low pay, low protection and rather poor terms and conditions,  

lack of high quality learning content,  

the use of trainees to carry out mundane work, and  

the substitution of trainees for regular employees.  

In  a  number  of  countries  concerns  about  traineeships  are  related  to  broader  concerns  about 
young people becoming trapped in precarious or unstable work (e.g. EL, ES, FR, IT, LT, 
PL, PT, UK). Questionable practices also appear to be particularly driven by the poor labour 
market position of young people which allow employers to ‘take advantage’ of those who are 
struggling to gain entry to employment. This is particularly the case in countries and sectors 
where there are large numbers of young people trying to find work.  

It  is  a  common  practice  to  cover  a  traineeship  with  a  contract  in  19  Member  States,  but  a 
minimum  wage  requirement  exists  only  in  11  Member  States.  The  learning  content  of  a 
traineeship is most likely to be formally defined where an educational institution is involved. 
However  traineeships  involving  just  the  trainee  and  the  employer  often  lack  content 
definition.  This  does  not  necessarily  mean  that  these  placements  are  entirely  devoid  of 
structure  and  content.  For  example  in  the  UK  many  employers  voluntarily  provided  well-
structured traineeships with pre-defined content. However, evidence suggests a high degree of 
variability in this area. Even in Member States where regulation exists to define the content of 
traineeships  (e.g.  AT,  LU)  there  are  concerns  that  employers  do  not  always  abide  by  these 
rules. 

One  of  the  most  worrisome  points  in  relation  to  traineeships  is  the  lack  of  proper  social 
protection  coverage  (most  often  only  health,  and  in  some  cases  occupational  risk/accident 
insurance is being offered to the trainee). It is however worth noting that traineeships which 
form  part  of  government  sponsored  programmes  increasingly  oblige  employers  to  pay  the 
trainees’ social security contributions, either in full or in part through subsidies (e.g. in CY, 
EL, PL). 

Written traineeship contracts are generally offered to trainees, but there is a wide variation in 
the  characteristics  of  these  contracts  (and  thus  the  rights)  between  countries  and  across 
sectors. Furthermore, there is no common definition of what is an “appropriate” remuneration. 
The lack of compensation or low pay and the prospect of exploitation are general concerns 
mainly  in  the  case  of  traineeships  in  the  open  market  and  mandatory  professional  training 
schemes.  

The risk of substituting regular employment by traineeships is greater in Member States with 
high unemployment and/or unfavourable labour market conditions for young people (e.g. EL, 
ES, IT, PT). However using traineeships as free labour is a growing phenomenon also in other 
countries,  where  young  people  might  have  to  do  several  traineeships  before  they  find  a 
proper job. 

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Finally, the abuse of trainees is more common where there is a lack of monitoring and clear 
traineeship  linked  objectives.  In  addition,  statistics  show  a  considerable  gender  pay  gap  in 
traineeships with a larger proportion of women in unpaid or low paid placements. 

4. 

TOWARDS A QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR TRAINEESHIPS 

Awareness of traineeship quality issues and potential abuses is increasing in the EU and there 
are some attempts to implement specific quality frameworks to deal with these matters (e.g. 
AT, EL, FI, FR, IT, and UK). 

An EU-level quality framework, elaborated in cooperation with government representatives, 
the  social  partners,  youth  organisations  and  all  further  relevant  stakeholders,  could  largely 
contribute to the increase in the quality of traineeships within the EU. Promoting good quality 
traineeships  contributes  to  meeting  the  objectives  of  the  Europe  2020  strategy,  in  terms  of 
facilitating good labour market transitions and promoting and facilitating geographic mobility 
for young people. 

The  following  elements  build  on  the  findings  of  the  study  and  on  existing  best  practices  in 
Member States and could be considered for developing such a framework: 

(a) 

Conclusion of traineeship agreement 

Both the study on a ’comprehensive overview of traineeship arrangements in Member States’ 
and  the  questionnaire  of  the  European  Youth  Forum  reported  that  for  a  large  part  of 
traineeships  (25%  of  those  who  responded  to  the  survey  of  the  European  Youth  Forum)  no 
agreement is concluded between the trainee and the host organisation. This creates a situation 
where  the  trainee  is  not  defended  by  law  while  the  host  organisation  cannot  be  sure  about 
what contribution the trainee is going to make. The traineeship agreement should be the basis 
of all traineeships and should cover the professional and learning objectives, the duration and, 
where  applicable,  the  rate  of  remuneration/compensation.  Such  requirements  are  already 
applied  by  the  training  agreement  and  the  quality  commitment  used  in  the  Erasmus  and 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  programs.  These  are  based  on  the  principles  of  the  European  Quality 
Charter for Mobility14, adopted by the European Parliament and Member States in 2006.  

(b) 

Definition of professional and learning objectives and tutoring/guidance 

Traineeships with well-defined professional and learning objectives are much more likely to 
contain useful educational elements thus helping the trainee to find a job after the traineeship. 
Besides  the  need  for  clearly  defining  the  professional  and  learning  objectives  of  the 
traineeship  a  personal  supervisor  should  be  designated  in  the  host  organisation  for  each 
trainee that is hosted. The supervisor figure should monitor the trainee’s progress and explain 
general work procedures and techniques. The supervisor should also provide feedback to the 
trainee about his/her performance in the form of mid-term and final evaluation. 

14 

Recommendation  2006/961/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  transnational 
mobility  within  the  Community  for  education  and  training  purposes:  European  Quality  Charter  for 
Mobility, OJ L394 of 30.12.2006. 

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(c) 

Proper recognition of the traineeship 

Evidence  gathered  shows  that  traineeships  too  often  end  without  a  proper  certificate  stating 
the knowledge, skills and competences acquired during the traineeship. Upon completion of 
the  traineeship,  the  trainee  should  receive  a  certificate  stating  the  duration  and  educational 
content  of  the  traineeship,  the  tasks  performed,  as  well  as  the  knowledge,  skills  and 
competences acquired. In order to record knowledge and skills acquired in another country, 
the Europass mobility document might be considered as a suitable tool15.  

(d) 

Reasonable duration  

The replacement of regular workers with trainees is increasing. In order to reduce this trend it 
is important that the duration of traineeships is clearly established so that they can fulfil their 
role of a tool enabling a smoother transition into the labour market. In general, a three to six 
months traineeship period is deemed appropriate depending on the type of traineeship (part of 
an  education/training  programme  or  undertaken  after  graduation).  Exceptions  can  include 
special occupations like lawyers, teachers, and medical doctors.  

e) 

Adequate social protection and remuneration of the trainee 

One of the most serious problems reported is that trainees often do not have adequate social 
protection  in  the  country  of  their  traineeship  (in  particular  general  health  and  accident 
insurance cover). 

Good-quality  traineeships  need  not  necessarily  be  paid.  During  the  trainee's  studies,  unpaid 
traineeships may be appropriate, provided the trainee has social security cover. In such cases, 
reimbursement  of  expenses  or  in-kind  support  (e.g.  travel,  meals  and  accommodation)  is 
recommended. For post-graduate traineeships, remuneration is recommended in general, since 
the  trainee  already  has  a  job-qualifying  degree  and  no  longer  enjoys  student  status. 
Furthermore, low-paid or unpaid traineeships lead to situations where those who do not have 
the  necessary  financial/family  etc.  background,  are  deprived  of  this  way  of  gaining  work 
experience.  

(f) 

Transparency of information on rights and obligations  

The rights and obligations of the trainee, the employer and, where applicable, the educational 
institution should be transparent and clear to all parties. Up-to-date information on legal and 
other  provisions  applicable  at  European  and  national  level  should  be  easily  available  in  a 
comparable  format  to  all  parties  involved  in  organising  and  taking  up  traineeships.  The 
difficulty  of  accessing  reliable  and  complete  information  on  these  provisions  across  all 
Member States is one of the major obstacles to organising transnational traineeships. 

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http://www.europass.ie/europass/euro_mob.html 

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5. 

THE WAY FORWARD 

The  Commission  has  expressed  at  several  occasions  its  commitment  towards  presenting  a 
quality  framework  for  traineeships.  With  the  present  consultation  document16,  DG 
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion prepares the ground for a Commission proposal on 
a Council Recommendation for such a framework before the end of 2012. 

All  concerned  stakeholders  are  invited  to  react  on  the  main  elements  set  out  above  and  in 
particular on: 

1. 

2. 

The scope of the initiative,  

The form that such an initiative should take at the EU level, and  

The main elements that determine high quality traineeships and that should be part of 

3. 
the quality framework. 

Reactions can be sent to EMPL-QUALITY-STAGES@EC.EUROPA.EU  

Alternatively, for those without web access, responses can be sent by post to:  
European Commission 
Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion 
Consultation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships 
Unit C3 
rue Joseph II 27 
B - 1040 Brussels 

Deadline for responding: 11 July 2012 

16 

The information contained in this document does not purport to represent or prejudge the final position 
that the Commission will take in relation to the topic covered. 

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