Erasmus+ traineeships

Erasmus+ supports work placements and internships abroad for Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral students, as well as recent graduates (within one year of your graduation). But your traineeship must be relevant to your degree and, wherever possible, be integrated in your study programme, so check the opportunities with your university. Work placements can last between two and twelve months, and Erasmus+ grants are available to cover your costs.

Work placements or study periods abroad are also available if you are currently enrolled in vocational education and training (VET). You will be hosted either in a workplace or in another VET institution abroad, with periods of work-based learning as part of your studies. You need to check with your VET organisation to find out if these opportunities are available to you.

Blue Book traineeships

Twice a year, the EU offers five-month paid traineeships at the European Commission, its services and agencies, mostly in Brussels, but also in Luxembourg and elsewhere across the European Union. The call is mostly for EU citizens, but a limited number of places are also allocated to non-EU nationals. You can apply if you are a university graduate of any discipline who does not have more than six weeks of experience working in an EU institution, body, agency or delegation, and have a very good knowledge of English, German or French. Find out more.

Schuman Traineeships in the European Parliament

Twice a year, the European Parliament offers different traineeships within its Secretariat, including to applicants from outside the European Union. The traineeships are awarded for a period of five months, and are open to anyone over the age of 18, with a university level diploma. The goal of the Schuman traineeships is to contribute to participants’ European education and vocational training, and to provide an insight into the work of the European Parliament. The deadlines for application are at the end of May and October every year. Click here to find out more.

Vocational training

The EU supports Azerbaijan in strengthening the quality of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system by modernising institutions to deliver skills-based training matching the needs of the job market. Specifically, the EU-funded project, ‘VET for the future: development of VET providers’ excellence in Azerbaijan’, implemented by UNDP, opens up vocational training opportunities for young people who have recently left high school. Among its activities, the project has established four career centres in Baku and Ganja, with plans to open another three, and developed free short-term inclusive courses in the professions of cook, confectioner, tailor, florist, stained glass artist, hairdresser, as well as social media marketing and programming.

In 2022-23, there were 23,340 places for 127 vocations in 66 vocational educational institutions in Azerbaijan. Find out more and apply on the government’s VET portal https://vet.edu.gov.az and search #SənDəPeşəyəGəl (‘JoinVET’), the hashtag for the social media information campaign about vocational training opportunities in Azerbaijan.