The Interns’ Statute is shaping up to be one of the the most significant reforms in the field of youth training and employment in recent years. Its aim is clear: to regulate more strictly the conditions under which students undertake work placements in companies, reinforcing their educational nature and limiting misuse.
For organisations, particularly those that regularly work with interns, this This entails a fundamental change in the management, supervision and design of training programmes.
What is the Trainee Statute and what stage has the process reached?
The Scholarship Holder Regulations 2026 It is a draft regulation that seeks to regulate the conditions for people undertaking work-based training in companies, with the aim of preventing abuse and ensuring that such placements have genuine educational value.
The text begins with the draft bill presented in November 2025 and is currently going through the parliamentary process, so it may still be subject to amendments before its final approval.
Its main focus is to strike a balance between businesses, educational institutions and students, ensuring that work experience complements academic training without replacing permanent jobs.
This change is in response to a growing concern: the use of work experience placements as a means of accessing low-cost labour without sufficient supervision or genuine training.
The main changes it introduces for businesses
The new regulations introduces more specific and stringent obligations for companies that take on work experience students.
The most significant changes include:
- Mandatory implementation of a personalised training plan for each student
- Close alignment between the practical activities and the corresponding academic programme
- Limit on the number of trainees per assigned tutor
- Maximum ratio of 5 students per tutor
- Limit of the 20% of trainees as a proportion of the company’s total workforce
- Stricter requirements regarding documentation and the traceability of the training process
This last point is particularly important: it will not be enough simply to take on students; it will also be necessary to demonstrate that there is a genuine, structured and assessable system of monitoring in place.
In practice, this means that companies are required to manage work placements in a professional manner, in much the same way as an in-house training programme.
Which types of practices are regulated and what are the differences between them?
The Statute draws a clear distinction between different types of work placements, each with different implications for the company.
Curricular work placements
These are the courses included in the curriculum and are compulsory for the award of the qualification. They are closely linked to the educational institution, which exercises direct supervision over them.
Extracurricular activities
They are voluntary and serve to complement academic training. Although they are not compulsory, they must have a clear educational component and cannot replace permanent posts.
Work-based learning
This model combines theoretical training and work experience within a single programme. It is subject to more complex regulations and has closer links to the world of work, whilst retaining its educational focus.
Correct classification is key, as it determines the legal obligations, the level of supervision and the type of documentation required.
Penalties and risks of non-compliance: ‘bogus trainees’
One of the One of the Statute’s key objectives is to reduce the number of cases involving what are known as “bogus trainees”, that is to say, trainees who carry out the duties of a regular employee without the appropriate training.
The Labour Inspectorate It will tighten controls over such situations, and may regard as fraud any practice that lacks a genuine training component or that replaces permanent posts.
- The consequences could be significant:
- Financial penalties of varying severity depending on the nature of the breach
- Obligation to convert the arrangement into an employment contract
- Retroactive claims for wage differences or social security contributions
- Reputational damage in talent recruitment processes
- Increased risk of future inspections
This means that companies are obliged to review not only the documentation, but also the the day-to-day practical work of students on work placements.
How to adapt your company’s work experience programme to the new framework
The adaptation to the Internship Regulations is not a one-off adjustment, but a redesign of the work placement model.
Review of the number of active scholarship holders
The first step is to analyse how many work experience placements the company has in each area and check whether the established limits are being adhered to. This includes not only the overall total, but also the breakdown by department and supervisor.
Designing individual training plans
Each student must have a a clear training programme, with clearly defined objectives, skills to be developed and a monitoring system. This transforms the training into a structured process, rather than an ad hoc one.
Appointment of guardians and supervisory responsibilities
The role of the tutor carries greater responsibility. Not only do they supervise assignments, but they must also ensure that learning takes place. It will therefore be essential to adjust workloads and ensure that the tutor-to-student ratio is manageable.
Documentation and process traceability
It will be compulsory to keep a record of the training process: objectives, progress, assessments and tasks completed. This makes document management a central part of the work placement programme.
Training as a guarantee of compliance: what tutors need to know
The tutor becomes a key figure within the new internship model. They are no longer just an operational supervisor, but the person responsible for ensuring the quality of training.
This means new skills:
- Ability to structure learning plans
- Objective assessment of skills
- Supporting students in their development
- Communication with schools
- Learning management in real-world work environments
In this context, the tutor training It becomes essential to ensure regulatory compliance and the quality of learning.
Through Educa.Pro, companies can design specific training programmes for tutors and work placement supervisors, helping them to adapt to the new legal framework and ensuring that work placements retain their true educational value.
