Today, the European Commission is taking action to improve working conditions for trainees, including pay, inclusiveness and quality of traineeships in the EU.
Quality traineeships can help young people gain practical work experience, learn new skills and eventually find a good quality job. For employers, they are an opportunity to attract, train and retain talent. A quality traineeship requires fair and transparent working conditions and an adequate learning content.
The EU’s 2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships set out 21 quality principles to ensure high-quality learning and working conditions. In its 2023 evaluation of this Council Recommendation, the Commission found that it had a positive impact on the quality of traineeships in the EU. However, the Commission’s evaluation also found room for improvement and both the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Parliament called on the Commission to improve traineeships.
Today, the European Commission is taking action and is proposing to improve working conditions for trainees, including pay, inclusiveness and quality of traineeships in the EU. The initiative consists of:
In 2019, the latest available reliable data, there were an estimated 3.1 million trainees in the EU. Approximately half of all trainees (1.6 million) were enrolled in paid traineeships.
The proposed Directive will help Member States improve and enforce good quality working conditions for trainees, as well as combat regular employment relationships disguised as traineeships.
Key elements of the proposed Directive include:
The reinforced Council Recommendation applies to all trainees regardless of their employment status, including traineeships that are part of formal education and training curricula and those required for accessing specific professions.
Key elements of the revised Council Recommendation include:
These new elements are in addition to what already exists 2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships Recommendation, such as having clear vacancy notices, providing a written agreement before the start of the traineeship setting out the terms, making sure traineeships are not excessively long or repeated, ensuring that the learning experience is a core part, guaranteeing the health and safety aspects, and promoting their recognition afterwards.
The Commission’s proposed Directive will be discussed by the European Parliament and the Member States. Once the proposed Directive is adopted by the co-legislators, Member States will have two years to incorporate it into national law.
The Council Recommendation will be presented to the Council for consideration and adoption. Following this, the Commission will support Member States in implementing the Recommendation and will invite them to provide updates on national initiatives, reforms, best practices and statistics.
The EU’s 2014 Quality Framework for Traineeships sets out 21 quality principles for traineeships that Member States are recommended to put into practice to ensure high-quality learning and working conditions. In its 2023 evaluation of this Council Recommendation, the Commission found that it had a positive impact on the quality of traineeships in the EU. At the same time, the evaluation found room for improvement in applying, monitoring and enforcing the framework’s quality principles.
It is estimated that there are around 3.1 million trainees in the EU (among them 1.6 million paid trainees) and the demand for traineeships is expected to grow at least by 16% by 2030. According to a 2023 Eurobarometer survey, 78% of young Europeans did at least one traineeship and 68% said they found a job afterwards. 21% of respondents did a traineeship in another Member State, marking a significant increase since 2013 (9%).
Today’s package follows up on the European Parliament resolution of June 2023, calling the Commission to update the 2014 Quality Framework; the Conference on the Future of Europe, where EU citizens asked the Commission to ensure quality traineeships; and the European Year of Youth. It also contributes to implementing the European Year of Skills and complements the reinforced Youth Guarantee and other Commission initiatives supporting youth employment.
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