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Working conditions of trainees & combating disguised employment

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Updated 3mo ago

This new directive aims to improve and enforce the working conditions for trainees across the EU. It also seeks to prevent situations where regular jobs are disguised as traineeships, ensuring trainees receive fair treatment and genuine learning opportunities.

The directive will affect trainees, employers offering traineeships, and potentially educational institutions. It aims to ensure that all trainees, regardless of their background or the type of traineeship, have access to quality training and decent working conditions.

Key changes include establishing a common definition of traineeships, setting minimum quality standards, and ensuring trainees receive fair pay and social protection comparable to other workers. It also introduces measures to detect and combat disguised employment relationships and requires traineeship providers to offer clear information on terms and conditions.

Member States will need to implement effective measures for enforcement, including inspections and dispute resolution mechanisms. Trainees will have access to redress, including compensation, even after their traineeship has ended.

Documents

Improving and enforcing working conditions of trainees and combating regular employment relationships disguised as traineeships (‘Traineeships Directive’)

report · EN · 2026-04-01

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Analysis

AI-generated·2 Apr 2026·Source document·Unverified

The Directive aims to establish a common definition of traineeships, understood as a limited period of entry-level work with a significant learning and training component, intended to provide practical and professional experience to facilitate the transition from education to standard employment or access to a profession.

What changes

Introduces a common definition of 'traineeship' to clarify its purpose as a period of work practice with a significant learning component, distinct from standard employment.
Establishes specific quality criteria for traineeships, including requirements for supervision, learning objectives, evaluation, validation of skills, and clear agreements.
Explicitly applies the principle of non-discrimination to trainees regarding access and working conditions, reinforcing existing Union law.
Introduces measures for competent authorities to detect and combat practices where regular employment relationships are disguised as traineeships, including specific factual elements for assessment.
Sets a principal maximum duration for traineeships of six months, with provisions for justified exceptions.
Enhances enforcement by requiring effective controls, inspections, access to dispute resolution, and protection against retaliation for trainees.

Expected impact

The Directive aims to harmonize the definition and quality standards of traineeships across Member States, providing a clearer legal framework.
The Directive seeks to improve working conditions for trainees, ensuring fair treatment and access to social protection, thereby potentially reducing precariousness and exploitation.
By applying the principle of non-discrimination, the Directive aims to ensure equal opportunities in access to and conditions of traineeships, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Limitations

The document is a legislative proposal and does not contain final adopted provisions or impact assessments from Member States.
Specific details on the implementation of penalties and the exact nature of 'objective grounds' for exceptions to duration limits are not fully elaborated in this text.
The document does not provide quantitative data on the expected economic or social impact, such as the number of traineeships that might be affected or the potential costs for employers.
The document does not detail the specific legal frameworks of individual Member States regarding traineeships, limiting the analysis of direct applicability.
The document focuses on the legislative text and does not include external analysis or commentary on the political feasibility or effectiveness of the proposed measures.

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