What Is a Training Agreement? A Plain-English Guide for Erasmus+ Interns

• Training agreement / Learning Agreement for Traineeships (LA-T) — Erasmus+ programme document. Defines the LEARNING content. Signed by intern + sending HEI + host.
• Internship contract / Convenio de Prácticas (Spain) / Convention de stage (France) / Convenzione di tirocinio (Italy) — national legal document required by the host country's labour code. Defines the LEGAL relationship.
• Grant agreement — bilateral document between the intern and the sending HEI. Defines the FINANCIAL relationship and grant instalments.
• Practical rule: you will sign all three. Each covers a different layer (learning, legal, money) and none replaces the others.

• Intern — signs first, after agreeing the proposed programme with the host.
• Host organisation — signs second, through the named supervisor.
• Sending HEI — signs last, through the Erasmus coordinator at the home faculty.
• All three signatures must be in place BEFORE the mobility start date for the placement to be Erasmus+-eligible.

The Commission's standard template (mandatory since 2022) has three sections.

• Section A — 'Before the mobility'. Programme details: number of working hours per week, tasks, knowledge/skills/competences to be acquired, monitoring plan, evaluation method, recognition (ECTS or a documented entry in the Diploma Supplement).
• Section B — 'During the mobility' (only used in case of changes). Both parties countersign any material modification within 4 weeks of the change.
• Section C — 'After the mobility'. Traineeship Certificate from the host confirming actual start/end dates, hours, tasks performed, and an evaluation by the supervisor.

Some host companies — especially small or non-academic ones — find the template intimidating. Three soft-skills tips help close the loop.

• Send the template pre-filled with the company's name, address and supervisor — most hosts hesitate because they don't know the wording.
• Explain the host commits only to providing the learning experience, NOT to a payment obligation (separate from the optional stipend).
• Offer the EWP digital signature link if your university uses it — it removes the printing/scanning friction.

• Any material change — start/end date, supervisor, tasks, working hours — requires Section B to be signed by all three parties within 4 weeks.
• Minor administrative corrections (typos, room numbers) do not require re-signature.
• Cancellation before mobility — the agreement is voided; no grant is owed.
• Early termination during mobility — the agreement is closed with the actual end date; grant is prorated.

• The Traineeship Certificate (Section C) is what your home faculty uses to award ECTS or to record the mobility in the Diploma Supplement.
• ECTS recognition must respect the agreed learning outcomes — your faculty cannot legitimately deny ECTS that were committed in Section A.
• If your faculty refuses to recognise the agreed outcomes, escalate to the Erasmus institutional coordinator and, if needed, the National Agency.

The term 'training agreement' is also used in non-Erasmus contexts. The structure is similar but the legal effect differs.

• Apprenticeship contracts (UK, Germany Ausbildungsvertrag, France contrat d'apprentissage) are paid employment contracts with training obligations — much heavier than an Erasmus LA-T.
• Corporate L&D training agreements bind the employee to repay training costs if they leave within a clawback period. Unrelated to Erasmus.
• Bar/legal training agreements (e.g. solicitor training contracts) are sector-specific qualification routes.

If a recruiter or host mentions a 'training agreement' in an Erasmus+ context, they almost always mean the Learning Agreement for Traineeships.