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EU auditors say that traineeships have grown in importance as more and more young people in the EU complete a traineeship before they get a regular job.
In a review issued on 6 February the European Court of Auditors points to several challenges though.
They say these include: varying definitions of traineeships, limited reliable data hindering evidence-based policy making, inconsistent application of the 2014 Council Recommendation on quality traineeships in member states, and potential variations in opportunities and accessibility for young people from different social backgrounds.
The share of young people who have completed a traineeship has increased significantly over the past decade, according to Eurobarometer opinion surveys.
However, for traineeships to be useful, trainees must be sure of their quality, and should not replace regular employees. In 2014, the Council of the EU recommended that member states should put into practice a set of minimum requirements for quality traineeships, including learning objectives, a written contract, fair working conditions, and reasonable duration.
These are now being updated to reflect the current state of play.
“Traineeships have become increasingly important for many young people entering the workforce, so it’s essential that these opportunities are of proper quality,” said Eva Lindström, the ECA member who led the review.
“The ongoing EU policy framework update on traineeships is an opportunity to address the challenges we’ve singled out.”
Although there are no official statistics on traineeships in the EU, the auditors estimate that as many as 3.7 million young people do a traineeship each year. According to EU surveys, the quality of traineeships is associated with positive employment outcomes, which is particularly important as young people are often more likely to be unemployed.
Two thirds of the trainees surveyed found a job within six months of completing a traineeship. However, traineeships are not regulated by EU rules, and not all member states follow the Council’s recommendation on traineeships.
The definition of ‘traineeship’ still differs substantially between member states, 16 of which have no legal definition of what a traineeship actually entails. This also makes it difficult to collect comparable and reliable data.
