Internships and Apprenticeships in the EU

A worryingly high percentage of students do not manage to find a place in the world of work, and have to resort to unpaid internships in order to gain work experience. This subject was the focus of a conference organised by EURANET in Brussels at the headquarters of the European Parliament, attended by politicians along with university students from Germany, Poland, Finland and Barcelona. You can also listen to the discussions at www.facebook.com/Connect.Euranet. (In Castilian)

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What options are open to students who need to earn money to support themselves? And what chances do employers have of obtaining well-trained staff that are willing to learn? Until recently, the chances were slim. Compulsory education offered young people plenty of theoretical information, but very few practical skills in preparation for their future profession. To remedy the situation, the 'law of learning' was amended earlier this year in order to help promote apprenticeships and redress this skills imbalance. (In Castilian)

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The number of European students who received a scholarship from the Erasmus exchange program increased by 8.5% in 2011. Spain is the country that welcomed and sent most students abroad to study. But Spanish scholars also received the lowest level of support out of all the European Union countries, receiving an average of just 133 euros per month. (In Castilian)

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The European Youth Forum is organising YoFest! 2012, an event with the collaboration of Euranet, which will take place on May 16 at 17:30 in the European Parliament in Brussels. Find out more in this report. (In Castilian)

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In Spain, half of all young people are unemployed, a figure well above the EU average. However, just 8% have worked outside Spain, despite the fact that nearly 3 out of 4 young people admit they'd like to. Given these statistics, it's not surprising that the Community authorities have launched the "Youth, Employment and Training" programme. (In Castilian)

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Internships and apprenticeships give to the young people looking for a professional formation the chance to confront directly to the real work. But what are the rights of the interns and the apprentices in Europe? The Connect.Euranet debate of May 16th, in Brussels, tried to find some answers. (In Romanian)

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On May 16th at 17.30, Brussels will host the 11th Euranet Connect debate. The event is being organized as part of YO!FEST, promoting quality internships and initiatives for Europe-wide standards regulating internships and apprenticeships. (In Romanian)

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Could apprenticeships be a solution for young people in Romania, hoping for a better future? Find out by listening to this RRI report by Christine Leșcu. (In Romanian)

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What makes more sense during an economic crisis - to follow the higher education route, studying for an MA or PhD? Or taking on an internship within an EU institution? Ana-Maria Cononovici looks at which alternative to go for during a period of job scarcity and high unemployment. (In Romanian)

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Luca Scarpiello, Vice-President of the European Youth Forum, believes that a “quality internship means an internship that leads people to start an autonomous life and develop their own life-projects.”

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Apprenticeships have a long a distinguished history in the workplace but are they still relevant today?

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Interhsips have had to endure a rather rough ride in recent years but a scheme in Lincoln is bucking the trend.

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An intern from Huddersfield University has been working with high-profile musicians like Ed Sheeran and The Lemonheads during their internship. However, not all work placements are that rewarding. Di Cunningham talks with interns Hannah Hughes and Matt Hurst, as well as placement Manager Fran Shaw, to find out what can go wrong - and how to prepare to ensure success. (In English)

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On May 16th, outside the European Parliament in Brussels, young people from across Europe gathered together to participate in YO!FEST 2012, organised by the European Youth Forum. This year the event was devoted to the promotion of a European Charter for Internships and Apprenticeships. Emilie Turunen, a young Danish Green MEP, has been actively working to promote this charter. She explains what it is all about and how it is supposed to protect young interns from the abuses they sometimes face. (In French)

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The European youth forum held its 3rd festival, dedicated to apprenticeship and internships, in Brussels on Wednesday 16 May. Giuseppe Porcaro (Italy), secretary general of the European YouthForum, answers Jean-François Cadet's questions. (In French)

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In order to promote apprenticeships and to compensate for the lack of professionnal schools, the Romanian education minister launched a new program at the beginning of the year, entitled Choose your way. What are the pros and cons of the new system? RRI's Christine Lescu reports. (In French)

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The unemployment rate among people under the age of 25 in France has topped 23%, while it stands at less than 10% for the rest of the population. To reverse this trend and encourage small and large firms to hire young people, France has tried to develop apprenticeships and 'sandwich training'. It seems to be working, though more could be done. (In French)

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Euranet's Anastasia Gavrili from Skai Radio in Athens caught up with Melisa Bleu from the French speaking Youth Forum of Belgium during YO! Fest 2012 in Brussels. Mrs Bleu's organisation has worked together with the European Youth Forum in order to create a European Quality Charter for Internships and Apprenticeships. "We fight for the rights of young people to have decent training and decent jobs," she explained. (In English)

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Euranet's Anastasia Gavrili from Skai Radio in Athens interviews Tiia Meuronen, Vocational Education and Training Officer at OBESSU, the European platform for general secondary education in Europe. YO! Fest 2012 was the perfect opportunity for Mrs Meuronen to launch OBESSU's campaign, entitled "Claim your voice!". She explained more about young people's rights in the labour market and why it's important that they obtain proper representation. (In English)

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While the EU is trying to promote higher standards in internships and apprenticeships, what really happens to interns working for European institutions? Are they abiding by the very rules which they hope to impose? And what is life really like for interns at institutions like the European Commission and the European Parliament? Euranet investigates. (In Greek)

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Young people in the EU are finding it increasingly difficult to make the jump from education to the labour market. How can internships and apprenticeships help ease this transition? And will things be improved by a legal framework to ensure quality standards for internships? (In German)

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In Denmark there are cases of interns receiving reduced 'student' salaries, despite the fact that they are performing the functions of a full-time worker. Other EU countries also have similar problems, involving the use of interns as cheap labour. (In Danish)

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Youth unemployment in Lithuania has hit a worrying 33 percent, much higher than in the rest of the European Union, where the figure averages 21 percent. Some Lithuanian experts believe that the main problem lies with the universities, which prepare unnecessary specialists. However, they also believe that forward-thinking companies train up their own specialists. (In Lithuanian)

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The EU needs to modernize its higher education system in order to improve competitiveness on the global market. This includes the need to enhance cooperation between universities and businesses, so that high-quality internships can be offered. (In Latvian)

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The European Commission continues to campaign, "We Mean Business", which aims to encourage companies to become more involved in work placements for young people in the EU.

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Euranet takes a look at how the transition from edu­cation to professional life is managed in the different EU member states. (In Swedish)

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Internships can be time consuming, not only with regard to working hours. In many cases, a lot of preparation needs to be done, especially if you go for an internship abroad. But luckily there are organizations like AIESEC providing help and support. (In Czech)

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Laura Fabbri is in charge of the labour market projects of the European Social Service Fund in Turin. She explains what the Leonardo Learning Programme is, and how it works. Two young people who participated in the project also speak to Euranet about what they gained from the experience. (In Italian)

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In Slovenia, students can apply for a 6-week internship at the European Commission Representation Office in Ljubljana. The work is not paid, but interns seem to value the experience very highly. We talked to Martin Nahtigal, a student from the University of Ljubljana, who just finished his internship at the Office. (In Slovenian)

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