Quality Traineeships in the EU – Youth Guarantee, European Solidarity Corps and beyond

Quality Traineeships in the EU – Youth Guarantee, European Solidarity Corps and beyond – Brussels on 10 November 2017 at the Sofitel Brussels Europe, Place Jourdan 1, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

The European Commission and the European Youth Forum will organise a conference focusing on Quality Traineeships in the EU to mark the 2017 International Interns’ Day. The conference will provide a space for European institutions, employers, and young people themselves to share views on quality traineeships.

Please note that neither the European Commission or the European Youth Forum are in the position to cover the costs arising from participation at this Conference.

Despite some improvement in national legislation since the adoption in 2014 of the EU Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships, in practice, young people still face many challenges. Many traineeships do not sufficiently fulfil their purpose, lack learning content, transparency on hiring practices and proper recognition. In addition, young people looking for an opportunity to enter the labour market often fall into a ‘traineeship trap’, completing one, often unpaid, traineeship after another, in order to gain experience and build connections.

The need to ensure quality in traineeships is also crucial to the implementation of several EU-level initiatives supporting youth employment: Many Member States are implementing the Youth Guarantee by offering traineeships to young people. Traineeships will also be an important element of the occupational dimension of the European Solidarity Corps. The legislative proposal supporting the full rolling-out of the Corps is to be adopted before the end of 2017.

This event will bring key actors together to raise awareness about existing quality frameworks for traineeships within the EU, discuss challenges and showcase promising practices.

Read more and register here.