Do Higher Education Institutions have the right structures to support mobile trainees? Looking at the implementation of the Erasmus+ traineeships across Europe

It is April 2026 and Split, Croatia, is the setting of the biggest get together of Erasmus Students, the Erasmus Generation Meeting. Young people from all over Europe come together to celebrate the achievements of the Erasmus+ programme on learning mobility and to join forces to further improve its implementation in the future. One detail quickly stands out, Erasmus+ trainees are a lot less represented and the level of awareness of participants about this opportunity appears low. Another detail that came to the fore was the widely different experiences among students who undertook such opportunities. While some students have worked closely with their higher education institutions, preparing together their experience, maintaining check-ups during the mobility period and with appropriate post-mobility assessments; a number of students faced numerous challenges including obtaining little information from their higher education institutions, having to conduct their own search for placements and poor communication throughout the mobility and after.

For the partners of the project “Digitalising Erasmus Traineeship Application & Support” (DETAS), these stark differences in mobility experiences were not all new and had led the partners to develop DETAS as their way of raising awareness and addressing the issues around Erasmus+ traineeships. The partnership has ensured to look at the different dimensions of traineeships, delving on one hand into academic research and student experiences and on the other, engaging with employers to find different avenues so that traineeships do not become an insurmountable crossroad for students and employers alike.

How are Higher Education Institutions faring when it comes to mobile trainees?

Findings from the latest DETAS report show that two thirds of HEIs have resources and supporting mechanisms for students that wish to go on Erasmus+ traineeships and that HEIs mainly support prospective trainees before the student departs. These results show still a long road ahead before achieving seamless traineeship journeys for learners across Europe. This report on the institutional implementation of the Erasmus+ traineeships at the Higher Educational Institutions' level is based on a 2025 survey of 137 HEI staff responses across 39 countries. It maps existing support measures (before, during and after), challenges and perceived benefits for students and HEIs, taking note of any eventual barriers, issues and ways to improve traineeship quality and access.

As traineeships represent a mix of learning and working, national legislations have different approaches which then comes down to universities across Europe showing different ways of support to future trainees. For example, in countries with non-compulsory Erasmus+ traineeships, universities have been successful at leveraging the influence of alumni ambassadors who encourage students to participate. However, as seen in the previous paragraph, most efforts concentrate on this pre-departure period. It was found that only in recent years have HEIs been more focused on developing support measures for during and after the traineeship. This situation makes projects like DETAS even more relevant as it represents a key opportunity for peer learning and mutual support among HEIs to better harmonise traineeship processes across Member States.

Not surprisingly, as also discussed in the report on student experiences, one of the most challenging parts for students on a traineeship is the financial implications. To help students in this regard, HEIs have been working on two ways: some decided to only accept students who go on traineeships where they get some sort of monetary compensation, while others offer additional funds to students beyond the Erasmus+ traineeship grant. In terms of engaging with the student during the time of mobility, results indicate how just over half of HEIs have feedback sessions with students in case of an issue arising. Post-traineeship, the most common practice for HEIs is to send feedback surveys to students after they return from their host country. 

…And what about their relationship with employers?

The report shows underwhelming results with only a third of European HEIs actively engaging with international employers who could host their students and less than one-third of HEIs asking for feedback from the company. This reality represents a huge challenge which hinders the impact of Erasmus+ traineeships and it is, together with student support, another area that should remain the focus of attention for HEIs moving forward.

The DETAS project is showing already a good example of communication among students, HEIs and employers which should continue and be further upscaled in the future in order to turn these figures around and ensure that all HEIs actively engage with international employers and maintain a good level of communication with them before, during and after the traineeship cycles.

Working together for better international traineeship experiences

While the report clearly indicates that there are positive ongoing developments in Higher Education, the advancements remain slow relative to the ambitions being placed on Erasmus+ traineeships. With ongoing discussions around a new Directive on Traineeships and the debates around the future budget for Erasmus+, it remains to be seen whether students, HEIs and employers will have the resources to achieve the goals set upon by the EU when it comes to traineeships. A properly funded Erasmus+ programme and adequate national budgets supporting quality traineeships are key to facilitate the collaboration among stakeholders to improve and harmonise the traineeship experience and provide young people with the competences needed not only to face the future but to shape it themselves. 

Read the full report in Zenodo here and the accompanying guidelines for Higher Education Institutions here.