1. General information about the European Master in Official Statistics

The European Master in Official Statistics (EMOS) is a shared initiative by Eurostat and the European Statistical System (ESS) to connect producers of official statistics and academia at European level. EMOS aims at providing students with an advanced training in the specific themes of statistics in general and official statistics, constituting a future recruitment pool of highly educated professional statisticians for the ESS and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB).

The main objective of EMOS is to enhance the abilities of students to understand and to be able to analyse European official data at different levels: quality, production process, dissemination, and analysis in a national, European and international context.

As of January 2021, the EMOS network consists of 34 programmes in 18 countries and builds on existing and nationally accredited Master programmes which, in line with the EMOS learning outcomes, familiarise the graduates with the system of official statistics, production models, statistical methods and dissemination. EMOS labelled Master programmes also collaborate actively with the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) or other producers of official statistics for relevant master thesis topics and internships in the sphere of official statistics.

Internships in an NSI or a statistical department of other producers of official statistics are an integral part of the EMOS programme. Through a traineeship (work placement, internship, etc.), the EMOS students will be able to take their studies to the next level and practice what they have learned during the master’s programme. The traineeship can be also the basis for a Master Thesis. Traineeships are also very valuable to improve social skills in an international setting while learning how to become more independent.

Eurostat has entrusted DevStat Servicios de Consultoría Estadística (Spain) the organisation of the EMOS student exchange by facilitating the contacts between participating students, universities, and hosting institutions in order to carry out cross-border traineeships for up to 24 EMOS students. DevStat provides an online platform to securely collect all data needed to organise the exchanges, as well as administers financial support to the students for 8-week traineeships.

2. How to read the EMOS Traineeship Guidelines

The EMOS Traineeship Guidelines is a tool for all the three parties involved in the EMOS’s traineeships: trainees, sending institutions (universities) and receiving institutions hosting the trainee.

This manual explains how to fill in the online forms required for the application, the description of the traineeship and other phases of the process.

The aim of the guidelines is to provide a transparent and efficient preparation and recognition of the traineeship period abroad, thus, this document:

  • Sets out the programme of the traineeship to be followed cross-border within the EU.
  • Explains how to fill out the necessary information.
  • Sets out how the traineeship will be recognised after successful completion.

The EMOS Traineeship Guidelines have three main parts:

  • Part A: Before.
  • Part B: During.
  • Part C: After.

Furthermore, the Guidelines include the following Annexes:

  • Annex I: Financial support.
  • Annex II: Contingency solutions in case of travel restrictions.
  • Annex III: List of EMOS programmes.
  • Annex IV: Traineeship Agreement.
  • Annex V: Contact points.
  • Annex VI: Suggested content of the final report.




The EMOS Exchange process at a glance

emos_exchange_process

Step 0: Describe the Traineeship Programme and the support provided to the trainee.

WHO Receiving institution
ACTION Fill in Form A1 and Form A2

The most important thing when trying to match the offers for traineeships with the EMOS students seeking for traineeships is the correct identification of the priorities of the student for this exchange experience. In order to find the most suitable match between the prospect trainee and the receiving institution, the latter is encouraged to hold an interview with the prospective trainee. A common description of traineeships can be found at https://emos.devstat.com/. The ESS and ESCB institutions will provide further details to enhance the common description of traineeships. Traineeship's specifications should be made available by the receiving institution using the same site.

The receiving institution should fill out Form A1 and as many Forms A2 as traineeships offered, taking into account the considerations described below:

  • The traineeship programme at the receiving institution should include the application deadline, the indicative start and end months of the agreed traineeship, the traineeship title, as well as the expected number of working hours per week. Please consider that the internship has to have a minimum duration of 8 weeks and be worth at least 10 ECTS (1 ECTS corresponds to 25 to 30 hours by week of work), meaning between 250 and 300 hours in total.
  • The detailed programme of the traineeship period should include the tasks/deliverables to be carried out by the trainee, with their associated timing.
  • The traineeship programme should indicate which knowledge, intellectual and practical skills and competences (Learning Outcomes) will be acquired by the end of the traineeship, e.g., academic, analytical, communication, decision-making, ICT, innovative and creative, strategic-organisational, and foreign language skills, teamwork, initiative, adaptability, etc.
  • The monitoring plan should describe how and when the trainee will be monitored during the traineeship by the receiving and the sending institutions. Note that DevStat will only monitor the administrative and financial implementation of the traineeship.
  • The evaluation plan should describe the assessment criteria that will be used to evaluate the traineeship and the learning outcomes.
  • The receiving institution should indicate the recommended level of language competence in the main language of work to ensure a proper integration of the trainee in the organisation. In case the level is below the recommended one when signing the Traineeship Agreement, the sending institution and the trainee should agree that he/she will reach the recommended level by the start of the mobility.
  • The receiving institution should provide appropriate support, including mentoring, supervision and equipment, to the trainee.
  • The receiving institution commits to issue a traineeship certificate within 2 months after the end of the traineeship.
  • The receiving institution commits to deliver an evaluation report at the end of the traineeship.

Please note that the travel arrangements, accommodation, health, and accident insurance as well as any taxes are to be provided for by the trainee. Please see Step 2.

Description of roles at the receiving institution

Please note that one or more roles can be played by the same person at the receiving institution. The receiving institution should appoint responsible persons with the following roles:

  • Administrative contact person: a person who can provide administrative information within the framework of EMOS traineeships. This person ensures that the Traineeship Agreement is signed at the appropriate level of each hosting organisation.
  • Mentor: the role of the mentor is to be closely associate to the work of the trainee in the subject area, provide support, encouragement and information to the trainee on the life and experience relative to the receiving institution (culture of the organisation, informal codes and conducts, etc.).

Forms A1 and A2

Fill forms here.

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If they wish so, the receiving institutions may provide additional financial or in-kind support to the trainees. In this case, the corresponding form in Annex I should be completed.

Step 1: Express an interest in a Traineeship Programme and register

WHO Student (trainee)
ACTION Contact DevStat

The EMOS Student fills an expression of interest and provides administrative data through DevStat’s dedicated platformhttps://emos.devstat.com/ after identifying a potential traineeship. Please note that only one traineeship can be taken per EMOS student. DevStat will interview the students to understand their expectations and jointly decide whether the selected traineeship will be a good match and fulfil these expectations. It should be noted that the receiving institution may decide to hold an additional interview with the prospective trainee. DevStat will support in organising such interview.

In the case of spontaneous applications (i.e., not corresponding to any public offer), the student should complete the corresponding form available at the list of traineeships found at here. It cannot be guaranteed that the application will be accepted by any receiving institution.

The trainee:

  • Will provide proof of health and accident insurance. Travel arrangements, accommodation, health, and accident insurance as well as any taxes are to be provided for by the trainee.
  • Must be proficient in English (minimum B2 level knowledge required according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or other working language of the traineeship host. In case the level is below the recommended one when signing the Traineeship Agreement, the sending institution and the trainee should agree on how the student will reach the recommended level by the start of the mobility and the type of language support that may be provided to the student by the sending institution or by the receiving institution.
  • Commits to produce an evaluation report. Additionally, a mid-term evaluation organised by the receiving institution is highly encouraged, since it can provide valuable feedback to ensure that the trainee meets the objectives of his/her experience (see Annex VI for suggested contents of an evaluation report and mid-term evaluation).undertakes to sign a commitment to statistical confidentiality if required by the receiving institution.

Form B

Find the best option for you and fill the form here.

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Step 2: Provide Administrative Data

WHO Sending institution
ACTION Fill in Form C

Description of roles at the sending institution:

Please note that one or more roles can be played by the same person at the sending institution.

  • Administrative contact person: a person who can provide administrative information within the framework of EMOS traineeships.
  • Responsible person: this person has administrative powers and is responsible for signing the Traineeship Agreement on behalf of the involved institutions, amending it if needed and recognising the credits and associated learning outcomes on behalf of the responsible academic body as set out in the Traineeship Agreement. The name and email of the responsible person must be filled in only in case it differs from that of the contact person mentioned at the top of the document.

Form C

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Step 3: Commit to recognise the Learning Outcomes

WHO Sending institution
ACTION Fill in Form E

The sending institution commits to recognise the learning outcomes acquired by the trainee upon satisfactory completion of the traineeship.

Step 4: All parties sign and commit with the Traineeship Agreement

WHO Sending institution Receiving institution Trainee
ACTION Sign the Traineeship Agreement

The Traineeship Agreement is the set of all forms filled in so far (STEPS 0 to 3). All parties must complete and electronically sign the Traineeship Agreement before the start of the mobility. DevStat will organise the signing process by circulating a document to be signed electronically by the parties. Please note that DevStat should keep a copy of the signed Agreement as proof to disburse the financial support.

It is recommended to use the following template. However, if the sending institutions already have an IT system in place to produce the Traineeship Agreement or the Transcript of Records, they can continue using it, provided that all the minimum requirements listed in this document are made available.

Traineeship Agreement

By signing this document, the trainee, the sending institution and the receiving institution confirm that they approve the Traineeship Agreement and that they will comply with all the arrangements agreed by all parties. The trainee and receiving institution will communicate to the sending institution any problems or changes regarding the traineeship period.
All parties accept that the traineeship can be the basis for a Master Thesis of the student

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If they wish so, the sending institutions may provide additional financial or in-kind support to the trainees. In this case, the corresponding form in Annex I should be completed.


Step 5 (optional): Notify exceptional changes

WHO Receiving institution
ACTION Fill in Form F

Form F should only be completed during the mobility if changes have to be introduced into the original Traineeship Agreement. In that case, Form A2 should be kept unchanged, and changes should be described in Form F. The two Forms should be kept together in all communications. When changes to the traineeship programme arise, they should be agreed as soon as possible with the sending institution. In case the change concerns an extension of the duration of the traineeship programme abroad, the request must be made by the trainee at the latest one month before the foreseen end data. Should the change imply a reduction of the time to be spent on traineeship, the student is requested to return part of the financial support in a part proportional to the unused time, calculated as follows: 2.500 € x (number of days in the destination +1)/(56 days), considering a duration of 8 weeks = 56 days.


In case of changes of the responsible person(s), the information below should be inserted by the sending institution and/or the receiving institution, where applicable.


WHO Receiving institution Sending institution
ACTION Fill in Form G

Form G

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Step 6 (optional): Confirm the changes

WHO Sending institution Receiving institution Trainee
ACTION Approve the changes to the Traineeship Agreement

All parties must approve the changes to the Traineeship Agreement. Information can be exchanged electronically, (e.g., via email, scanned or digital signatures, etc.) without the need of a paper signature. However, if national legislations or institutional regulations require paper signatures, a signature box can be added where needed.


Step 7: Traineeship certificate

WHO Receiving institution
ACTION Fill in Form H

Once the traineeship is finalised, the receiving institution should send a Traineeship Certificate to the trainee and to the sending institution within two months after successful completion of the traineeship. It can be provided electronically or through any other means accessible to the trainee and the sending institution. The Traineeship Certificate will contain at least the information in Form H. The actual start and end dates of the traineeship programme should be included according to the following definitions:

  • The start date of the traineeship period is the first day the trainee has been present at the receiving institution to carry out their traineeship. For example, this could be the first day of work, a welcoming event organised by the receiving institution, an information session for trainees with special needs, a language and intercultural course organised either by the receiving institution or other organisations (if the sending institution considers it relevant for the mobility).
  • The end date of the traineeship period is the last day the trainee has been present at the receiving institution to carry out his/her traineeship, not his/her actual date of departure.

Form H

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Step 8: Recognition at the sending institution

WHO Sending institution
ACTION Recognise the traineeship according to Form E and provide a Diploma Supplement. If applicable, provide the Transcript of Records.

The sending institution should recognise the traineeship according to the provisions in Form E and issue a Diploma Supplement. The information contained in the traineeship certificate from the receiving institution should also be included in the Diploma Supplement produced by the sending institution. It is also recommended to record the traineeship in the trainee's Europass Mobility Document (if applicable), particularly in the case of recent graduates, and in any case when the sending institution had committed to do so before the mobility. Recording the traineeship in the Europass Mobility Document is not applicable to mobility with Partner Countries which are not part of the Europass network. (Please check if your country is eligible at https://europa.eu/europass/en/national-europass-centres).

If applicable, the sending institution should provide the Transcript of Records to the trainee or record the results in a database (or other means) accessible to the student, within two months after receiving the traineeship certificate, without further requirements than those agreed upon before the mobility. The Transcript of Records will contain at least the information that the sending institution committed to provide before the mobility in the Traineeship Agreement, i.e., the number of ECTS credits (or equivalent) awarded and the grade given (which can be expressed in the form of pass/fail).

Recognition: all the credits that the trainee has earned during the mobility and that were specified in the final version of the Traineeship Agreement (Form F) are recognised by the sending institution, according to its commitment before the mobility and without further requirements than those agreed upon before the mobility.


Information about financial support provided by Eurostat through DevStat

8-week cross border traineeships taking place in another country than the EMOS student´s place of study (more than 100km away) can be supported financially with 2500€ per trainee. Trainees will be reimbursed upon signature of the traineeship agreement. This sum is meant to contribute to costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence in the host venue. Financial support provided by Eurostat through DevStat does not prevent students from applying for and benefiting from other support mechanisms and grants, (e.g., Erasmus+ ). Travel arrangements, accommodation, health, and accident insurance as well as any taxes are to be provided for by the trainee.


EMOS students' events sponsoring

Conferences, workshops, and training sessions organised in the ESS like NTTS and Quality conferences provide for ample opportunities for the EMOS students to deepen their knowledge and network with professional statisticians. For the attendance of selected ESS events, in total up to 12 students can receive event sponsoring support for travel, registration fee and subsistence if the event venue is more than 100km away from the student’s place of study. The final decision regarding the eligibility of the student for sponsoring will be made by Eurostat.

Participants to selected ESS events are paid by DevStat upon proof of their attendance to the event (signed presence list, presence certificate signed by the legitimate event organiser).


Means of payment (bank transfer, signature of receipt)

DevStat will request banking information of the student to process the payment.

DevStat will make the transfers to a bank account on student’s name, and keep the proof of payments to participants, as they constitute original documents that may be subject to the checks and audits provided for in Art.II.24 of the General Conditions applicable to the contract.


Means of payment (bank transfer, signature of receipt)

Commitment to reimburse if the traineeship is shortened

Should the change in a traineeship imply a reduction of the time to be spent in the destination, the student is requested to return part of the financial support in a part proportional to the unused time, calculated as follows: 2.500 € x (number of days in the destination +1) / (56 days), considering a duration of 8 weeks = 56 days.


Information about financial support provided by the receiving and sending institutions (optional)

In order to bring additional information to students for making the decision of applying for a traineeship, receiving institutions may provide information about eventual support (financial or in-kind) that can be provided.

The following form should be completed optionally by the receiving institution:

Support provided by the receiving institution


Information about financial support provided by the sending institution

In order to bring additional information to students for making the decision of applying for a traineeship, sending institutions may provide information about eventual support (financial or in-kind) that can be provided.

The following form should be completed by the sending institution:

Support provided by the sending institution


The situation related to the pandemic has forced many organizations worldwide to cancel or postpone major events and conferences, following the World Health Organization’s recommendations. Unfortunately, it might be possible that this situation will continue in 2021.

Action 0 - Prevention

The best ally to prevent contagion is to reinforce personal hygiene measures in all areas of work and against any exposure scenario. The receiving institution and trainees should know the procedure and work following these recommendations:

  • Hand hygiene is the main measure of infection prevention and control. If the hands are visibly clean, hand hygiene will be done with alcohol-based products; if they are dirty r stained with fluids it will be done with water and antiseptic soap.
  • Gather long hair in a ponytail or low bun.
  • Strengthen the hygiene measures of the facilities, work equipment, especially when they are shared with other workers and personal protective equipment. Especially of those surfaces that may have been exposed or come into contact with colleagues or users. The usual detergents are sufficient. The virus becomes inactive after 5 minutes of contact with household disinfectants such as bleach.
  • Ventilate, clean and disinfect frequently shared facilities, toilets, etc.
  • If someone has respiratory symptoms, should cover his/her mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing with a disposable tissue and throw it in a garbage container.
  • Keep an interpersonal distance of at least 2 and a half meters away from other people.
  • Use of masks in closed spaces and during group meetings.
  • Try to work remotely when possible.

Action 1 - Remote working

As much as possible, institutions should consider the possibility of remote working in the case of restrictions to physical presence. All contacts with DevStat can be made online, through the dedicated platform, email and telephone if needed.


Action 2 - Regular communication with receiving institutions and sending institutionsg

If face-to-face meetings are cancelled, the trainee should be able to maintain regular communication with the receiving institutions and sending institutions via emails, video conferences and phone calls.


Action 3 - Adoption of online tools for trainings and events to be attended by EMOS students

In order to minimize the potential significant interferences on the traineeships caused by the pandemic, we propose to move as much as possible all training courses from classroom training courses to webinars: online training courses (applicable to those projects that foreseen face-to-face training courses or events). This solution could be applied also for those events or workshops that the EMOS student is supposed to take part and where the face-to-face interaction among participants is not mandatory. Virtual training and event platforms such as MS Teams, Zoom and equivalent software, offer the ability to download relevant content and engage in online chats to all the participants. These platforms also enable trainers or facilitators to deliver virtual experiences, including live streaming and on-demand general session keynotes and breakout presentations. In the case of training courses, all the materials, exercises and tools will be adapted or developed to guarantee the success of the webinar.


Action 4 – Insurance

The trainee must provide proof of health and accident insurance. The insurance should cover expenses for medical treatment abroad or repatriation.


The European Statistical System Committee has awarded the following Master programmes with the EMOS label: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cros/content/emos-4-unis_en



Please note that contact persons are listed under each Traineeship offer in the website emos.devstat.com.


emos_exchange_process
DevStat Servicios de Consultoría Estadística
C/ ALMIRANTE CADARSO 26 (WAYCO), 46005 VALENCIA (SPAIN)
TEL: (+34) 960 590 080 ,
EMAIL: event_services@devstat.com
EMOS Platform: https://emos.devstat.com/
www.devstat.com

The following questions are intended to provide a suggestion for the contents of the evaluation report to be prepared by the trainee. The report should be sent to DevStat who will share it with all interested parties. The order of suggested issues is not mandatory.

  1. What were your primary reasons for wanting a traineeship at receiving institution and what did you want to learn about most when you first started your time at the receiving institution?
  2. Do you feel that these objectives were met? Did your interests or goals change over the course of your traineeship?
  3. What were your main duties or tasks?
  4. What were some of the most valuable, least valuable, and perhaps unexpected experiences and skills you earned during your traineeship at the receiving institution?
  5. Has this traineeship influenced your postgraduate studies or your overall career aspirations? How so?
  6. What was the quality of the guidance and feedback you received from the receiving institution staff member(s) you worked with?
  7. Were you satisfied with the reception and support provided by the receiving institution? If yes, describe in detail the positive aspects; if no, describe in detail the negative aspects, what steps you took to change the situation and how your efforts were received.
  8. What are some ways we could strengthen the EMOS traineeship program? (e.g., specific duration of traineeship, type of work or projects, frequency of staff interaction, etc.)