
Updating Quality Framework for better Traineeships
Members of Parliament call for European legal act
UV – 06/2023
At the meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment
and Social Affairs (EMPL) on 8 June, Members of Parliament (MEPs) called on the
European Commission to present a directive on high-quality traineeships.
The motion
for a resolution, which was adopted by a majority, contains recommendations on specific regulatory content in
addition to the fundamental demands for a legal act. According to MEPs, a directive
should protect trainees through minimum quality standards and contain rules on
the duration of internships as well as adequate remuneration in line with the
cost of living. In addition, access to social protection should be ensured.
This could also affect the health and accident insurance coverage of interns.
Uniform regulations across Europe should also cover compulsory traineeships,
which are part of vocational training.
Traineeships help young people gain access to the labour market
Since 2014, the number of people doing traineeships in other EU
countries has been steadily increasing. Traineeships play an important role for
young people in gaining work experience and facilitate the transition from
education or training to the labour market. At the same time, traineeships are
important to prepare young people for the demands of the labour market and to
counteract a mismatch between skills supply and demand. This is subject to the
prerequisite that employers offer quality traineeships.
Quality framework ensures high-quality traineeships
The European Commission published an evaluation of the 2014 Quality
Framework for Traineeships January this year. This confirms that the 2014 Council
Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships is a key reference
point for Member States on high-quality internships. A large majority of
respondents, including public authorities, public employment services, business
representatives and young people, considered the Quality Framework and its 21
principles to be still relevant. The European Parliament has now called on the
European Commission to present a proposal for a directive ensuring the quality
of traineeships in the European Union.