The Trainers Pool is a database of trainers who, in principle, are considered competent to contribute to the implementation of the Council of Europe youth sector's programme of activities.

While respecting and promoting the inherent diversity of youth work across Europe, the youth sector has identified a set of quality criteria applicable to its education and training activities.
The trainers in the pool should contribute to the implementation of these standards in the activities for which they are contracted.

At regular intervals and according to the needs of the programme, the Youth Department Secretariat (usually the Education and Training Division) publishes calls for expressions of interest from trainers in the Pool. These calls are activity specific and provide details about the nature of the role and tasks to be performed and of the required competencies.

In managing the Pool, the Educational Team pays specific attention to the ability of the individual trainers and to the need for each specific activity team to function. It must therefore make sure that all areas of competence relevant to the activity are covered, that the individual trainers can work together as a team and that the necessary sex/gender and geographical balances are safeguarded. Trust and transparence are very important in this process.

The calls are currently published through the online platform of the Trainers Pool. The assessment of trainers' expressions of interest and the consequent selection of trainers are made on the basis of the documents submitted by the applicants complemented by feedback on previous experiences. Efforts are always made to involve as many trainers as possible in the annual programme.

The Youth Department offers two rates: junior and senior. The decision on whether a junior or senior rate is applied is made by the Youth Department Secretariat and often reflects the perceived level of experience, expertise and the expected role of the individual trainer for a specific activity or task. It is therefore possible for a trainer to be contracted as a senior in one activity and junior in another. Being considered junior or senior is not, therefore, an assessment of the trainer’s competence as such but of their perceived relative competence in relation to the activity and to the other trainers in the specific team.

Currently, the rates for junior and senior trainers are set at 160 €/day and 300 €/day respectively. The calculation of work days and overall honoraria are always considered on a case-by-case basis and should reflect the actual work and tasks undertaken by each trainer, even if they work in a team.

In accordance with the dynamics of the youth sector, the Youth Department's Trainers Pool should ensure access to the best-prepared and most competent trainers in the youth field in Europe. At the same time, the Pool should enable trainers in the youth field, predominantly new competent young trainers, to access the database and ultimately to be hired to run activities for the Department.

This requires very flexible admission criteria for the new members. These criteria should allow new members to enter the Pool on a continuous basis while, at the same time, maintaining the Department's high quality standards and a minimum level of competences required for members.

Admission to the Pool is voluntary and based on an application procedure which includes an application form and recommendation letters from at least two other trainers, one of which should be a member of the Trainers Pool.

To be eligible for the Pool, candidate trainers must:

• Possess as a minimum the competences required to be a junior trainer;
• Have been actively involved in grassroots youth work for at least four years or have been actively involved in international youth work for at least two years;
• Have attended a training course for trainers of a minimum of five working days with the Council of Europe Youth Department or other partners implementing similar trainings and have proven competencies in running intercultural non-formal education activities;
• Be familiar with and adhere to the values and approaches of the Council of Europe in non-formal education youth activities.
• Be recommended by two current members of the TP or by a team having implemented a Youth Department training course.

Membership of the Trainers Pool expires automatically after three years for trainers who have not responded to any call for expressions of interest or been contracted for any activity. The trainers concerned may re-apply. All trainers in the Pool are also expected to renew their profile and update their self-assessment every third year at least.

Being a member of the Trainers Pool does not guarantee a proposal for a contract from the Youth Department.

Other organisers of international or national youth activities may also call on members of the Pool to assist them in running their activities.

The “external partners” – “external” to the Youth Department of the Council of Europe – can launch calls for trainers through the Trainers Pool database. The decisions on the trainers to be invited (or not) are their sole responsibility; the Educational Team may give an opinion if asked although this rarely happens.

Regular external partners include intergovernmental organisations, governmental structures on youth developing and implementing youth activities, and/or other structures of the Council of Europe. Several international youth organisations also request the support of the Youth Department in identifying competent trainers for their activities.

For further information about the role and functioning of the Trainers Pool, including the conditions for publishing calls by external partners, please visit the Trainers Pool platform.