This section offers you insight into career-related news and tasks. Here you will be able to learn important information that will help you for your future career development.
By Aurora Dagnino, reading time: 3 minutes
We are in 2026 and nowadays it is basically impossible to count how many people use AI in their daily tasks or to study. Indeed, not only students use AI, but also employers, leading to a change in the job market.
This raises many doubts for us students, who are currently looking for a job or planning to do it in the future. For example: will generative AI replace my job, or improve it? What has been the impact on the labor market so far?
Artificial intelligence is modifying the labour market in a deep but often misunderstood way. It is not simply “taking jobs”; instead, it is changing what people do at work, which skills matter, and who is beneficial for the economy.
For instance, after the release of ChatGPT in 2022, job postings for roles involving repetitive tasks fell by 13%. At the same time, demand for jobs requiring analytical, technical, or creative skills, which can be strengthened by AI, increased by 20%.
Written by Anneke Pelzer
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Europe’s public sectors face many challenges: democratic backsliding and declining trust in governments, aging societies entail a crisis in social security systems, and economical pressure intensifies. In Germany, Florian Stupp and Yannic Plumpe founded the NGO Public Makers with the vision to tackle these problems. By engaging young people in public change they want to foster innovations to strengthen the German public sector. Whether through hosting so-called Hackathons, Bootcamps, or Micro Masterclasses: Public Makers aims to inspire students to transfer their knowledge into valuable solutions. I had the chance to speak with Florian about Public Makers and the vision they have for future-proof public sectors. Florian is currently studying Information Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. He recently received the Young Leaders in GovTech Award by Handelsblatt for his dedication to engage young people in the public sector.
By: Aurora Dagnino
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Working for the EU is one of the most desired and prestigious jobs in the world, especially among law students. But how can you become an EU employee? What do you have to do after your traineeship?
Author: Dori Felber
Read time: 6 minutes
Michele Coniglio is a junior indirect tax accountant at KPMG Luxembourg. He has been passionate about numbers since high school and has studied accounting since he was 15.
By Beatriz Santos Mayo, 5 min. One of our blog members had the opportunity to interview the Member of the European Parliament, Iban García del Blanco. He is part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. He is a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and of the delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly. Moreover, he also takes part in the Committee on Culture and Education. If you are interested in AI, the legal process in the EP, or you have a simple curiosity about the daily tasks of an MEP, read this fantastic article.
By Beatriz Santos Mayo, 10 minutes. Have you ever heard about the traineeship in the Committee of Regions (CoR)? Check out Beatriz´s interview with José Grande Santalla, a current trainee in communication in the CoR for the region of Galicia. In the interview, José gave us an overview of his work life and experience applying for this type of internship.
By Petra Simpalean, 7 minutes. Are you considering applying for a job at one of the EU institutions? If so, you will be required to take a European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) test. EPSO tests are the most important part of the selection process, as without them, you cannot work in any EU institution. By reading this article, you will find out exactly what these tests entail, tips and tricks that will help you pass them, and much more. Start reading and be a step closer towards accomplishing your goals and working for the EU!
By Aari Helmelaid, 16 minutes. ECA holds a wide network of alumni studying or working in different cities and in a variety of public and private sector companies and institutions. Many reside in Brussels, one of whom is former ECA President Max Griera. Blue&yellow writer Aari recently had the opportunity to interview him for our career Insights section. In this article, Max shares his memories of ECA, his journey on becoming a journalist, insights into working in the Brussels bubble, and valuable tips to help you land a job after your studies.
By Eleonora Pizzini, 8 minutes. The European Solidarity Corps is one of the several opportunities that the European Union offers to young people. It is an international volunteering programme thanks to which young Europeans can work and volunteer in non-profit causes. Taking part in one of the projects gives you additional skills and assets rarely acquirable in normal traineeships. In this article we interviewed a peer who participated in a project in Ukraine before the start of the war. He will talk about his experience and provide first hand insight on the programme and some few reasons why you should consider doing this experience.
By Sofia Bertolaja, 8 minutes. Have you ever thought about doing a traineeship at the EU Council? Check out Sofia’s article to read her interview with Jakub Rurarz, one of the founders of ECA and a current trainee at the Council.
By Federico Durante, 8 minutes. Most universities in Europe give bachelor's and master’s students the possibility, either for a semester or an entire year, to choose how to acquire more experience and deeper knowledge about the topic they have been studying. Generally, this possibility comes under three forms: an exchange programme, an internship, or a minor programme. If you want to know more about them and learn directly from ADS Insight, a consultancy operating in Brussels, Germany, Poland, France and Sweden and a partner of ECA, check the article!
By Leonie Klüver, 7 minutes. Ever wanted to go abroad for an internship? Are you interested in experiencing the EU firsthand without having to move to Brussels? Do foreign policy and diplomacy excite you? Then you should consider applying for a traineeship at the European External Action Service (EEAS).
by Eliza Wójcik, 3 minutes. Politico’s EU studies & Career Fair is an annual meeting of the world’s top universities and organisations aiming to connect with the best international students and young people interested in pursuing a future in the EU. Read the article to learn how to register and what are the benefits of attending the Fair!
by Erik Schmidt-Bergemann, 6,5 minutes. Have you ever wondered if you can conduct a traineeship at one of the European Agencies? If yes, did you feel a bit lost comparing all the complex requirements? Check out this article to read a clear, concise and very helpful comparison of EU Agencies’ traineeships with all the requirements.
By Leonie Klüver, 5,5 minutes. Do you want to experience how legislation is debated, how EU laws are passed, how the most democratic EU body works daily, and how internal committees operate? Then a traineeship at the European Parliament is very likely an interesting option to kick start your career in the EU. There are two different types of traineeships at the European Parliament. The first one is at the Secretariat which is called the Schuman Traineeship. The other possibility is to conduct a Traineeship with a Member of the European Parliament. As application processes and the task differ fundamentally both traineeships are compared in more detail below.
By Erik Schmidt-Bergemann, 6 minutes. Twice a year the EU Commission welcomes about 650 new trainees. But how do you become a trainee and what are the requirements? There are several requirements that one needs to fulfill such as speaking two official languages of the EU. If you are eligible and if you can stand out among the thousands of other applicants you will become one of the next trainees at the Commission. If you would like to know more about the application process, the requirements and how the traineeship looks like, continue reading this article!
By Eliza Wójcik, 10 minutes. Brussels and Luxembourg are the first places that come to mind while talking about work in the EU. Have you ever wondered what living there actually looks like? Are you curious about the comparison of those two? I have all the answers to your questions! Read the article to find out more about daily life, multiculturalism and other characteristics of Brussels and Luxembourg.
By Paula Nörr, 8 minutes. Have you ever talked to an employee of the Council of Europe? No? Well, we did for you! For our Career Insight section, we interviewed a former trainee and employee of the Council of Europe. If you want to know how our interviewee made her way from an audit firm to the Council of Europe and what her job experience there looked like in Covid times, you should continue reading. The interviewee did not only give us informative insights in her career but also helpful tips and recommendations on how to approach job search to finally get hold of a job in a European institution.
By Max Griera, 3 minutes. Sooner or later, everyone has to write a CV. Whether you are familiar or not with this task, here we present you 14 points to help you level up your CV.
This project is partly made possible by SWOL- Universiteitsfonds Limburg
