Two studies undertaken for the European Commission on apprenticeships and traineeships in all EU Member States recommend that these schemes should be more responsive to labour market requirements. European enterprises currently offer company training positions for a total of about 9.4 million students. Apprenticeship-type students represent approximately 40.5% of total secondary education students in the 27 Member States.

One of the Commission's priorities is to ensure a smooth school-to-work transition for young people for action to tackle youth unemployment in the EU. The European Commission now published two studies in all EU Member States that recommend that apprenticeships and traineeships should be more responsive to labour market requirements, better adapted to business needs and offer more guarantees in terms of quality and perspectives for young people. In May 2012, the youth unemployment rate was 22.7% in the EU and 22.6% in the euro area.

More particularly, the study on apprenticeships recommends that there should be homogeneous quality standards for apprenticeship-type studies; a balance between specific occupational skills and general skills and competences; the involvement of the social partners in the design and organisation of apprenticeships, as this is an essential factor for their success and initiatives taken with students to improve the general image of the vocational education system. The study on traineeships indicates that there is a need for a clear definition of traineeships at EU level, where possible, traineeships should take place as a part of the study curriculum rather than after students leave education; a concerted effort should be made at both EU and national levels to increase the supply of traineeships, especially in SMEs; there is a need for some financial support to trainees, especially those from less privileged backgrounds and steps should be taken to encourage open and transparent recruitment processes for traineeships.

By the end of 2012, the studies' results will provide input to the preparation of two Commission initiatives: a draft Council Recommendation on Youth Guarantees, to ensure that young people are either in employment, education or training within four months of leaving school, and the definition of a Quality Framework for Traineeships.