Instructions for employers of Erasmus+ trainees in Finland

The Erasmus+ programme includes a trainee exchange through which higher education students from other countries come to Finland, too, to complete a traineeship as part of their studies. In addition to degree students, recent graduates with a higher education degree can also complete an Erasmus+ traineeship if the placement has been granted before they graduated and the traineeship is completed within one year of their graduation.

Both private companies and different private and public organisations in working life can host Erasmus+ trainees. The EU’s institutions and organisations that manage EU programmes (e.g. Erasmus + national agencies) are an exception to this. Finnish companies and working life organisations may receive Erasmus+ trainees through Finnish higher education institutions, but individual students may also look for placements in companies independently. Finland receives Erasmus+ trainees from all of the countries participating in the programme which, in addition to the 27 EU Member States, also include Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. In addition, some trainees may also come from outside Europe.

During the current Erasmus + programming period, blended traineeships are also possible in addition to conventional, fully physical traineeships. This means that trainees can also work remotely from their home countries.

Erasmus + traineeships can be long-term or short-term placements. The duration of a long-term traineeship period is 2 to 12 months. The duration of the physical training period included in a short-term blended traineeship is 5 to 30 days, and it must also include a virtual section (a remote work period). A long-term traineeship period can also be blended. No specific minimum duration has been set for the virtual part of a blended traineeship, but the scope of the blended period must be at least 3 credits (= approx. 80 hours), including both a physical and a virtual period. The traineeship may take place either during the academic year or a holiday period.

The sending higher education institution usually awards the Erasmus+ trainee an Erasmus+ grant, the amount of which may be between 260 and 690 euros per month. The grant amount varies greatly depending on the student's country of origin and home higher education institution. For trainees arriving from outside Europe, the grant is EUR 900 per month. In short-term traineeships, the grant is either 79 or 56 euros per day depending on the length of the traineeship period. The student may also complete a traineeship without any Erasmus+ grant funding. As a rule, the grant is only paid for the period during which the trainee must be physically present in Finland.

In addition, the employer may pay a salary to the trainee. This is usually necessary because the grant is not always sufficient to cover all the costs the student incurs during the traineeship. The employer and the student agree between them on the amount of the possible pay and/or on any other possible benefits provided by the employer (such as accommodation, food, work clothes and travel to and from work).

Before the Erasmus+ traineeship begins, the student, the sending higher education institution and the receiving company jointly draw up a Learning Agreement for Traineeship. A form already exists for the agreement and can be found, for example, on the Finnish National Agency for Education’s website on Erasmus+ for higher education. The duration of the traineeship and its objectives and content, guidance, evaluation and the necessary insurances are set out in the Learning Agreement. The traineeship is part of the student’s studies and will be included in the higher education degree the student completes in his or her own country. Consequently, it is important that the content of the training is compatible with the student's studies. If changes to the matters set out in the Learning Agreement arise during the traineeship period, the Learning Agreement must be updated. The form includes a separate page for changes. See also the instructions for using and filling in a Learning Agreement.

Especially if the trainee is paid a salary but preferably also in other cases, the company and the trainee must sign, in addition to the Learning Agreement, a separate employment or training contract compliant with Finnish legislation, in which they agree on practical issues for the traineeship, such as working hours, holidays and pay. A responsible person in the sending higher education institution and a supervisor in the receiving company are designated for the traineeship.

The purpose of drawing up Learning Agreements is that the employer and the student agree in advance on both the content and the boundary conditions of the traineeship. This way it can be ensured that the traineeship is successful from the point of view of both parties.

The organisation or company providing the traineeship place does not need to register with the European Commission or Erasmus + National Agencies.

At the end of the traineeship, the traineeship provider will give the student a Traineeship Certificate. The certificate should state the actual start and end dates of the physical traineeship and the content and duration of any virtual part. To issue the certificate, the template included in the Learning Agreement for Traineeships document can be used.

The Finnish National Agency for Education serves as Finland’s National Agency, which means that it manages the allocation of appropriations granted to Finnish higher education institutions by the EU and provides advice and communicates information about the Erasmus+ programme in Finland. However, the Finnish National Agency for Education does not take care of arrangements related to individual students’ traineeship periods, as these are the responsibility of the higher education institution/company sending and receiving the student as well as students themselves. It is also not possible for the Finnish National Agency for Education to arrange Erasmus+ trainees for companies.