How universities can arrange Erasmus+ traineeships abroad

For higher education, the term Erasmus placement usually means Erasmus+ student mobility for traineeships. A student completes a work-based period at an eligible receiving organisation in another Programme or Partner Country, under a Learning Agreement for Traineeships. The applicable annual Erasmus+ Programme Guide and your National Agency agreement set the detailed eligibility rules for your project.

Sending institution

Your university or higher education institution. It selects the participant, manages its Erasmus+ budget, signs the grant agreement and recognises the mobility period under its own procedures.

Receiving organisation

The company, public body, research institute, NGO or other eligible workplace where the student carries out the traineeship. It provides tasks, supervision and the required confirmation at the end.

Intermediary organisation

A third party that may source hosts and support practical delivery. It is not automatically the receiving organisation and does not take over the sending institution’s Erasmus+ obligations.

Start with the gap in your own delivery model. Some institutions need introductions to employers in one sector. Others need a provider to pre-check hosts, arrange accommodation options, run arrivals and remain available during the traineeship. Asking for all of this under the vague heading of “placement support” produces weak quotations and missed expectations.

Put these boundaries in the specification and contract. In particular, say who has authority to approve a host, change duties, move a participant or decide that a placement must end early.

A credible partner should be able to show how it checks a host before presenting it to you. A logo, a short company description and an email saying “we can take interns” are not enough. Your review should test the actual role the student will do and the conditions around it.

• Ask for a written task plan linked to the student’s field, level and expected learning outcomes. Check that it describes work, not only observation or general assistance.
• Require a named workplace supervisor with relevant responsibility and enough availability to guide the student.
• Check the legal identity and address of the host, the workplace location and the person authorised to sign the Learning Agreement.
• Ask how the host handles induction, health and safety, working hours, absence and workplace conduct.
• Confirm what insurance is required under your institutional policy and national rules. Erasmus+ support does not itself replace accident, liability, health or travel cover.
• Build in an accessible route for students to report unsuitable treatment, harassment, discrimination, unsafe conditions or a material change to agreed tasks.

Quality is easier to defend when each check leaves a record. Keep the host assessment, correspondence, signed agreement, monitoring notes and final confirmation in the project file for the period required by your grant agreement and institutional retention policy.

The Learning Agreement for Traineeships is where a promising host proposal becomes an approved academic mobility. It should be agreed by the student, the sending institution and the receiving organisation before the physical traineeship begins. Do not allow operational pressure to turn this into a signature exercise after arrival.

The final Traineeship Certificate should confirm the period completed and the work undertaken. It supports recognition, but it does not repair a learning agreement that never set clear expectations.

1. 1
   Match the role to the student

   Check the intended tasks against the programme, prior learning and realistic level of responsibility. A marketing student can gain useful experience in a small firm; the agreement must still state what they will learn and how.

2. 2
   Make outcomes assessable

   Write outcomes that can be demonstrated through work completed, skills developed or evidence reviewed. Avoid vague phrases such as “gain international experience” as the only outcome.

3. 3
   State supervision and evaluation

   Name the host mentor, set how progress will be reviewed and record the final evaluation method. Agree what evidence the student must submit to your university.

4. 4
   Control changes in writing

   If tasks, dates, location or supervision change materially, assess the effect on learning outcomes and record an approved amendment. A verbal assurance from the host is not an adequate audit trail.

Price matters, but it rarely predicts whether a provider will protect your students or reduce staff workload. Compare bids against a service description that states volumes, destinations, student profiles, inclusions and the evidence you expect at each stage. This also prevents a provider counting a referral to a generic vacancy board as a sourced placement.

• Define the unit of delivery: for example, a host introduction, an approved host, a signed Learning Agreement, or a student who starts the traineeship. These are not the same thing.
• Set lead times by intake date, and distinguish a placement that is merely proposed from one that is confirmed by the host and approved by you.
• Request anonymised examples of host assessment forms, participant handbooks, incident procedures and monitoring reports rather than relying on marketing claims.
• Specify destination coverage and sector capacity. A broad country list does not prove access to placements in engineering, health, IT or the creative industries.
• Include data protection terms. The provider will normally process CVs, contact details and potentially accessibility or support information on your instructions.
• Agree replacement rules. State what happens if a host withdraws before departure, changes the role after arrival or cannot provide supervision.

An external provider can support delivery, but the beneficiary institution remains accountable for the project agreement with its National Agency. For higher education mobility, your Erasmus Charter for Higher Education commitments and the terms of the grant agreement continue to apply. Treat a partner’s checks as additional assurance, not a substitute for your own approval process.

• Select participants through a fair, transparent process and retain the basis for selection.
• Ensure each participant has a grant agreement before mobility and receives the support to which they are entitled under your project rules.
• Provide accurate pre-departure information, including practical, academic and wellbeing contacts.
• Monitor the mobility period and intervene where learning, safety or eligibility is at risk.
• Recognise the traineeship as agreed when the student has completed the approved requirements, following your academic regulations.
• Maintain records needed for beneficiary reporting, checks and possible audit by the National Agency or other authorised bodies.

For VET learner mobility, the project action, quality standards and documents differ from higher education. Do not reuse a university traineeship workflow for VET groups without checking the rules that apply to that action.

Map your next 12 months of traineeship demand by subject area, destination, dates, language requirements and support needs. Then issue a short specification, ask providers for documentary evidence, and pilot a manageable cohort before committing to a large annual volume. Review results after the first completed placements, not just after the first matches are made.

If you need a provider to source, vet and coordinate traineeship placements while your institution retains academic and Erasmus+ control, [Piktalent’s mobility programmes](https://piktalent.com/mobility-programs) are one option to assess alongside your procurement requirements.

1. 1
   Write a one-page requirement

   State participant numbers, eligible disciplines, target countries, timing, host criteria, required support, reporting format and the decision points that remain with your university.

2. 2
   Run a quality review

   Score providers against host verification, supervision arrangements, incident handling, data protection, local capacity, reporting and transparent commercial terms.

3. 3
   Set up the operating rhythm

   Agree a shared tracker, named contacts, approval deadlines, pre-departure checks and scheduled monitoring points before student recruitment opens.