This paper seeks to answer the question whether and how professional associations help students and young translators develop the competences required in the translation market, and how they interact with the academic community. It specifically focuses on the Czech Union of Interpreters and Translators, which brings together interpreters and translators of all specialisations. It summarises the Union’s aims, mission, and activities, with a particular focus on translation and interpretation trainees and young professionals—the annual conference for young translators and interpreters and the Master’s and Bachelor’s Thesis Awards. Based on data collected from the Union’s website and archives, the content of these two events was analysed to see how the Union interacts with the academic world, what topics are prioritised, and to what extent and how the two events complement university education and reflect the Union’s mission. The results reveal how professional organisations can support interaction between translation and interpreting students/recent graduates and the professional sphere and how the activities of these organisations can be useful in translator training.