ERASMUS+ KA1 2019-2021
“The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth”
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus In 1987, an innovative idea came to life: the creation of an educational network in Europe that, through time, managed to interconnect educational institutions, students, teachers, staff, in cooperation, acceptance, understanding, training, human interaction. The Erasmus Action Framework had just become a reality. HISTORY & BACKGROUND The Erasmus programme was established in 1987 as an exchange programme for higher education students. Ever since the first year, when 3,200 students from 11 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom) participated, the programme has constantly been evolving. Today, Erasmus+ offers a wide range of opportunities in higher education, vocational education and training, school education, adult education, youth and sport. These are open to learners, educators and youth workers. Over the past 30 years, the programme has given 9 million people the chance to study, train, volunteer or gain professional experience abroad. Erasmus+ has stronger links with the labour market than its predecessor programmes, enabling students to spend traineeship periods in companies or organisations abroad and through non-formal learning experiences preparing young people for the job market and for participation in civic life. For 30 years, mobility has helped to provide people with the education, skills and competences they need to lead independent and fulfilling lives. It has also given people a European experience and sense of belonging to a community. Various evaluations and impact assessments have underlined the value of mobility. They show that going abroad equips young people in Europe with the labour market skills both of today and tomorrow and improves their prospects for a successful career. Mobile students are twice as likely to have found a job one year after graduation compared to their non-mobile counterparts, and one in three students who do traineeships abroad is then offered a position by their host company.In addition, surveys conducted with participants since 2014 clearly show how positively the students regard this experience: 96% say they are satisfied with having taken part in the programme. The general objective of the KA1 Programme is to support, through lifelong learning, the educational, professional and personal development of people in education in Europe and beyond, thereby contributing to sustainable growth, quality jobs and social cohesion, to driving innovation, and to strengthening European identity and active citizenship. The Programme promotes learning mobility of individuals and groups, as well as cooperation, active participation, quality, inclusion and equity, excellence, creativity and innovation at the level of organizations and policies in the field of education and training. It is, in fact, lifelong learning in action. Beyond mobility, what does Erasmus+ offer? Erasmus+ has also grown to become much more than mobility. Cooperation projects are a tool offering organizations active in the fields of education, training, youth and sport the opportunity to form partnerships with each other, as well as with other actors such as companies and public authorities. These cooperation projects enhance quality and drive innovation, for example by improving the policies that are essential to economic growth and job creation. A comprehensive overview of past and ongoing projects can be found here. Source: ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/ |