# European Council Offers Paid Traineeships for Persons with Disabilities

- Link: https://euemployment.eu/european-council-has-announced-the-positive-action-programme/
- Published: 2023-10-04T17:53:26+02:00
- Author: Ben

## About the programme

The General Secretariat of the [Council of the European Union](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/council-of-the-european-union/)
and the [European Council](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-council/) has
announced the [**Positive Action Programme** for trainees with a disability](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/jobs/traineeships/positive-action-programme-for-trainees-with-a-disability/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=20230917-traineeships-positive-action&utm_content=visual).

This programme offers up to **six paid traineeships per year** to EU nationals with
a recognized [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/). The initiative
is the result of the Council’s committment to promoting diversity and inclusion 
in its workforce.

The traineeships are offered twice a year, with each** traineeship lasting five 
months**. The first period runs from 16 February to 15 July, while the second period
runs from 1 September to 31 January. Candidates with a [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/)
are welcome to apply simultaneously for other types of traineeships if they fulfill
the eligibility criteria.

As soon as trainees are selected, the Council provides **personalized support **
to ensure that they have all the necessary:

 * _Software_,
 * _Hardware_, or
 * _Ergonomic equipment_ from the start of their traineeship.
 * Other _[reasonable accommodation](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/reasonable-accommodation/)_
   such as accessible parking, a personal assistant to navigate the building, text-
   to-speech and speech-to-text software, braille display, and ergonomic support.

Between 2020 and 2022, 13 trainees with physical, mental, intellectual, and sensory
impairments worked in 10 different teams at the Council. They were welcomed and 
supported by their colleagues and supervisors. Lisa, one of the trainees, said, “
Everybody at the Council has been incredibly kind, warm and welcoming. I think as
a next [step](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/grade/) it would be important to 
normalize people with disabilities working at the Council, both as trainees and 
as members of staff.”

This initiative was recently awarded the **European Ombudsman Award** for excellence
in public administration in the category ‘Excellence in diversity and inclusion’.

## How to apply

Candidates who wish to apply for the Positive Action Programme for trainees with
a [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/) must upload a **proof
of their [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/)** during registration.
The proof can be an [official](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/official/) document
from a national authority or any accredited body confirming the [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/),
or a certificate issued by a medical doctor less than six months ago.

If you are interested in applying for the Positive Action Programme for trainees
with a [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/), please visit 
the Council of the European Union’s website for more information. You can also contact
the traineeships office by telephone at +32 22813677 or by email at [traineeships@consilium.europa.eu](https://euemployment.eu/european-council-has-announced-the-positive-action-programme/traineeships@consilium.europa.eu).

[**Application instructions**](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/jobs/traineeships/positive-action-programme-for-trainees-with-a-disability/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=20230917-traineeships-positive-action&utm_content=visual#apply)

[**Description of traineeship tasks**](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/58570/first-hand-description-of-traineeship-tasks-from-the-trainees-updated-july-2022-en.pdf)