Are you a (former) trainee or interested in doing a traineeship in the future? We are looking for your opinion The Commission is interested in hearing the opinions of former and current trainees, as well as young people who might be interested in taking a traineeship in the future. The survey has been exceptionally extended and will be open until 25 March 2022. © Shutterstock Traineeships/Internships are a common way for young people to gain practical and professional experience before taking up regular jobs. They improve employability and facilitate transition into regular employment, but are also useful for employers to find new talent. The Quality Framework for Traineeships (QFT) is an EU instrument aiming to improve the quality of traineeships which are taken outside education context*, in particular as regards learning and training content and working conditions. The Commission is currently evaluating the QFT, to see to what extent it has improved working conditions of trainees, whether the framework still meets the needs of trainees and employers, or whether it lacks elements that would increase the quality of traineeships. This evaluation contributes to the European Year of Youth. Your opinion matters In the context of the evaluation, the Commission is interested in hearing the opinions of former and current trainees, as well as young people who might be interested in taking a traineeship in the future. If this is your case, please respond to this survey available in 23 languages, and contribute to a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t in traineeships (outside education programmes). Respond to the survey Later in the spring, the Commission will launch a Public Consultation on the same theme. It will have a slightly different focus, and is addressed at a larger public. The link to that survey will be published in due course. Follow us on social media for more information: Facebook: #EuropeanYearOfYouth Twitter: #EuropeanYearOfYouth * Work experience placements that are part of formal education or vocational education and training, and traineeships which are mandatory to access a specific profession (e.g. medicine, architecture, etc.) are not covered by the QFT Recommendation.