DIEC Traineeships Regulations

Curricular traineeships refer to practical, application-oriented learning experiences undertaken by students who are regularly enrolled in the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes in Economics at the University of Genoa, in collaboration with host organisations that have a formal agreement with the University.

Extracurricular (post-graduate) traineeships refer to practical, application-oriented learning experiences carried out with host organisations by recent graduates (Bachelor’s or Master’s) of the Economics degree programmes, within 12 months of graduation. These internships aim to facilitate career decision-making during the transition from university to employment.

The two types of traineeships differ as follows:

  • A curricular internship may only be undertaken by a student currently enrolled in a degree programme.
  • Only curricular internships can be formally recognised as part of a student’s academic record.
  • Purpose: Curricular internships have a practical and application-oriented purpose that complements theoretical knowledge already acquired (or in the process of being acquired) during university studies. They also serve an orientation function, offering first-hand experience of the professional environment to support more informed career choices. Extracurricular (post-graduate) internships train the intern in performing specific tasks, often with the purpose of close observation and evaluation by the host organisation, potentially leading to a placement within the same organisation or another interested employer.

Host organisation refers to a company or public/private entity (including foundations, associations, and professional firms) that hosts an intern within its organisation for a specified period.

General Rules (All DIEC Programmes)

Curricular traineeships may only be undertaken by students regularly enrolled in the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes in Economics at the University of Genoa, with host organisations that have a formal agreement with the University. The traineeship must start and end while the student is enrolled in the same degree programme. It may not be undertaken during a “bridge career” period, and it must be terminated once the student no longer holds active student status (e.g., upon graduation). Traineeships may not be split between the Bachelor’s and Master’s cycles.

The curricular traineeship must be included in the student’s study plan:

  • as part of the elective learning activities (AAF a scelta), or 
  • replacing uncompleted elective learning activities, or 
  • as an extra-curricular course unit (students may add up to 12 CFU of extra-curricular courses without additional tuition fees, as per Art. 16, para. 1 of the Student Contribution and University Benefits Regulations).

The promoter of curricular traineeships is the University of Genoa.  
An the promoter of curricular traineeships is activated only once the host organisation has submitted a proposal via the UniGe Curricular Traineeships Platform, where traineeship opportunities from partner companies and organisations are published for Economics students. Students who independently identify an traineeship opportunity may enter the proposal themselves on the platform or request that the host organisation do so.

The agreement between UniGe and the host organisation can be signed promptly.   
Insurance coverage for workplace accidents (INAIL) and civil liability for curricular traineeships activated through UniGe is provided by the University.

The platform is essential for initiating, monitoring, completing, and evaluating the internship.

Students may withdraw from an traineeships by giving adequate notice to both the host organisation and the Traineeship Office. However, they should be aware that terminating an traineeship before the official end date stated in the learning agreement will result in the internship not being eligible for academic credit.

Traineeships carried out with host organisations managed or controlled by the intern’s spouse or relatives up to the third degree are strongly discouraged. In such cases, the student must first contact the Traineeships Office to explain their reasons. Proposals will not be accepted if the company tutor is the intern’s spouse or a relative up to the third degree. The student assumes full responsibility for any deviations from these guidelines.

Specific Rules – Bachelor’s Programmes 
 

Completing a curricular traineeship, with or without CFU recognition, involving at least 150 hours, grants the student a 1-point bonus on the final graduation grade.

Curricular traineeships for credit may only be undertaken after earning at least 90 CFU.

Credit recognition depends on the number of traineeship hours completed:

  • 6 CFU for at least 150 hours completed within a maximum of 4 months. 
  • 9 CFU for at least 225 hours completed within a maximum of 6 months (only for Bachelor’s programmes in Genoa).

Long-term curricular traineeships, lasting up to 12 months, may also be arranged through specific agreements between the Department of Economics and host organisations.

Traineeships undertaken by the student under conditions that deviate from those set forth in the present Regulations are, as a rule, not eligible for recognition. By way of exception, an internship not arranged through the University of Genoa (UniGe) may be considered for recognition if the following conditions are met:  
- the student has included the traineeship in the study plan;  
- the traineeship was carried out during a period in which the participant was enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree programme in Economics;  
- the student had already obtained at least 90 ECTS credits;  
- the traineeship had an appropriate duration and workload in terms of hours;  
- the sponsoring institution was authorised to promote traineeships in accordance with applicable national or regional regulations;  
- the host organisation certified the satisfactory completion of the traineeship;  
- the content of the traineeship was consistent with the specific learning objectives of the degree programme.

Specific Rules – Master’s Programmes 
 

A Master’s degree student may undertake a curricular traineeship for credit recognition at any point during their Master’s programme, with no minimum ECTS credit acquisition requirement.

Successful completion of a curricular traineeship entitles the student to the acquisition of 6 ECTS credits.

The curricular traineeship may be undertaken in either of the following formats:

  • “Standard” curricular traineeship: with a duration of three months; upon motivated request by the host organisation and with the trainee’s consent, this may be extended for a maximum of an additional three months. In all cases, the student’s workload must not be less than 20 hours per week (240 hours over the three-month period).
  • “Extended” curricular traineeship: with a duration of up to 12 months. The access procedures and specific rules for these traineeships are governed by specific agreements between the Department of Economics and the organising and/or hosting entities. In any case, credit recognition is conditional upon the student having completed at least 240 certified hours of activity during the internship period.

Traineeships undertaken by the student under conditions that deviate from those set forth in these Regulations are, as a rule, not eligible for recognition. By way of exception, an traineeship carried out by a Master’s degree student may be considered for recognition if:  
- the student has included the traineeship in the study plan  
- the traineeship lasted at least six months during which the participant was enrolled in a Master’s degree programme in Economics  
- the sponsoring institution was authorised to promote traineeships under applicable national or regional legislation  
- the host organisation has certified the satisfactory completion of the traineeship  
- the traineeship activities were consistent with the specific learning objectives of the degree programme.

Tutorship, Evaluation, and Career Recognition of Curricular Internships (for all DIEC Programmes)

Each traineeship is supported by dual tutorship: one external tutor appointed by the host organisation and one academic tutor. For traineeships connected to final examinations, the academic tutor must be the supervisor of the final paper (Bachelor’s degree) or thesis (Master’s degree). For all other traineeships, the academic tutor shall be selected from among the teaching staff of the Economics degree programmes - though not necessarily from the student’s own programme - and may delegate responsibilities to non-permanent researchers (e.g. research fellows, subject experts, etc.), while retaining overall responsibility for the tutorship.

Without prejudice to their academic responsibilities in drafting and approving the training project, the academic tutor’s role includes: convening the student, including remotely, no later than halfway through the internship to verify its progress; checking, also through contact with the host organisation’s tutor, that the traineeship is proceeding as planned; receiving any complaints from the trainee and verifying their validity with the host tutor; intervening in cases of repeated behaviour by the host organisation inconsistent with the training project.

At the conclusion of the traineeship (when the traineeship appears in the platform under the status “Evaluation”), the host tutor must prepare a brief report on its completion and outcome and forward it to the Traineeships Office. The academic tutor, upon reviewing the report, expresses their final opinion for the purpose of recognising the traineeship in the student’s academic record. If the process is concluded positively, the documentation is forwarded ex officio to the Examination Board for the registration of the ECTS credits.

Extracurricular (post-graduation) traineeships are governed by Regional Regulations.  
Such traineeships entitle the trainee to a reimbursement allowance, the amount of which is established by the applicable Regional Regulation. They do not result in ECTS credit recognition (as the trainee is a graduate).  
In Liguria, an extracurricular traineeship lasts from a minimum of two months to a maximum of six months, including extensions, and must commence within 12 months of graduation.  
Extracurricular traineeships are also subject to dual tutorship.  
For traineeships activated through UniGe, INAIL accident insurance and civil liability coverage are provided by the University.

The Department of Economics generally takes a favourable view of traineeships abroad, whether these involve applied training periods offered by Italian host organisations through their foreign branches or offices, or offers directly from foreign-based host organisations.  
For students enrolled in Economics degree programmes, the same rules outlined in this Regulation for traineeships undertaken in Italy apply. Traineeships abroad are managed directly by the Traineeships Office (without the use of the UniGe Platform).  
Traineeships abroad also entitle students to ECTS credits, provided the requirements set out in these Regulations are met.  
For traineeships carried out in EU countries, INAIL accident insurance and civil liability coverage are provided by UniGe, as in Italy. For traineeships in non-EU countries, only civil liability coverage applies. In such countries, it is advisable that either the host organisation or the trainee arrange separate accident insurance coverage.


Incoming Erasmus students who participate in educational activities within the Economics degree programmes may apply for traineeships in Italy coordinated by the Economics Traineeships Service, in collaboration with the International Relations Service, only under the following conditions:

  1. the student’s home degree programme includes an traineeship requirement
  2. the student demonstrates full proficiency in Italian
  3. the student has already earned at least 90 ECTS credits, including at least 15 ECTS from courses in Economics at the University of Genoa
  4. the student’s home institution explicitly guarantees reciprocal opportunities for outgoing Erasmus students from the University of Genoa’s Department of Economics

Regardless of the traineeship accreditation rules of the home institution, any traineeship undertaken in Italy by an incoming Erasmus student and coordinated by the Department of Economics of the University of Genoa, if successfully completed, shall entitle the student to the credits established by this Regulation.  
Similarly, traineeships successfully undertaken abroad by outgoing Erasmus students from the Department of Economics shall be recognised with the credits provided for in this Regulation, subject to certification of their completion and successful outcome by the hosting foreign university structures. This applies regardless of the accreditation procedures in place at the foreign institution coordinating such traineeships.

Information Resources

The Curricular Traineeship and Thesis Platform, as well as the University’s Job, Traineeship, and Placement Platform, contain listings of traineeship opportunities offered by organisations willing to host students and graduates of the Economics degree programmes.  
Host organisations bear sole responsibility for the accuracy of legally relevant statements they provide.

Transitional and Final Provisions

This Regulation, adopted at the meeting of the Department of Economics Council on 4 October 2022, supplements and replaces previous resolutions on traineeships and placements within the Department of Economics.  
It enters into force on 1 November 2022.  
Any amendments to this Regulation must be approved by resolution of the Department Council.  
For all matters not expressly covered herein, reference shall be made to applicable legislation on traineeships and to University guidelines, with which this Regulation is consistent.

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