Designed to foster a skilled and dynamic work force within the European Union, Erasmus+ supports European work and study mobility throughout 33 participating European countries.

As the graduate job market increasingly focussed on towards those who possess prior work experience, Erasmus+ traineeships are intended to provide students with the experience they need to thrive in today’s job market. Work aboard can help students to improve their language skills and enhance their CV by providing international employment experience. Traineeships can also, and have previously, led to employment opportunities for some students.

How to arrange an Erasmus+ traineeship?
The Erasmus+ Traineeship programme is designed to enable students to do a traineeship in an organisation in another European country which participates in the Erasmus Programme. These traineeships can last anywhere between 2 to 12 months and trainees are eligible for support by an Erasmus+ Traineeship grant. Students seeking to take part in an Erasmus+ traineeship must be enrolled in a Higher Education Institution which possesses an Erasmus Charter. Recent graduates may also participate in a traineeship, subject to certain conditions.

There are several ways a student can source Erasmus+ traineeship:

• The first is to ask about the options at the international office at your institution. Many institution have bilateral agreements with European companies and will send a set number of students to them every year.
• The second option available to students is to check out the positions currently being offered by on the Erasmus Student Network Traineeship Search Platform.
• The third option is to directly contact a company you are interested in doing a traineeship at. Many companies have internship programmes which are easily adapted to the Erasmus+ traineeship scheme.

It is important to note that a student should always seek the permission of their international officer before applying for any position. Many institutions require that the traineeships be relevant to your degree programme. All institutions are required to verify the credentials of the host organisation via a training agreement. Consequently, your international officer must involved in the process from the beginning.