The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is calling on Europe’s co-legislators to address the issue of the quality of work placements.
It noted, in a report published on 6 February, that while the number of young people undertaking traineeships in the EU has risen to around 3.7 million each year (the report does not cover educational placements), “quality issues remain and the EU guidelines on the quality of work placements, arising from the 2014 EU Council recommendation, are not consistently applied by Member States”.
The report also highlights the potential inequality of opportunity and access to traineeships. It also points out that, for traineeships to be useful, trainees must be sure of their quality and must not replace regular employees.
In 2014, the Council of the EU recommended that Member States put into practice a set of minimum requirements for quality traineeships, including learning objectives, a written contract, fair working conditions and reasonable duration. These requirements are currently being updated by the Commission.
This must be an opportunity to address the challenges identified, says the Court of Auditors.
One of the recommendations is to establish a common definition of traineeships. Clarification is also required on the status of trainees and their rights, as the 2014 Council recommendation does not specify whether trainees are likely to be considered as workers.
The report also notes that one third of ALMP (Active Labour Market Policy) and open-market traineeships are still unpaid, while for the remaining two thirds, compensation may be insufficient to cover basic expenses.
With too little compensation, the traineeships offered by the EU institutions are not affordable for all young people in the EU.
The effects of EU funding for traineeships cannot be assessed either, as “this expenditure category is not specifically monitored”.
The Commission’s next steps should therefore remedy these shortcomings: “Varying definitions of traineeship, with lack of clarity with regard to what the concept entails; the limited amount of reliable data on traineeships - hindering evidence-based policy making; the inconsistent application of the 2014 Council recommendation on quality traineeships in Member States; potential variations in opportunities and accessibility to traineeships for young people from different social backgrounds”.
MEPs were also due to discuss this issue in plenary on 6 February.
“Setting clear, fair and equitable rules on the duration and remuneration of internships, not forgetting access to social protection for our trainees. It’s a question of respect, recognition and valuing their work”, Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, French) reacted earlier in the day.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/aq3 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)