Green light for Erasmus+: More than 4 million to get EU grants for skills and employability

European Commission - IP/13/1110   19/11/2013

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European Commission

Press release

Strasbourg/Brussels, 19 November 2013

Green light for Erasmus+: More than 4 million to get EU grants for skills and employability

Erasmus+, the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport, due to begin in January, was approved today by the European Parliament. Aimed at boosting skills, employability and supporting the modernisation of education, training and youth systems, the seven-year programme will have a budget of €14.7 billion¹ - 40% higher than current levels. More than 4 million people will receive support to study, train, work or volunteer abroad, including 2 million higher education students, 650 000 vocational training students and apprentices, as well as more than 500 000 going on youth exchanges or volunteering abroad. Students planning a full Master's degree abroad, for which national grants or loans are seldom available, will benefit from a new loan guarantee scheme run by the European Investment Fund. Erasmus+ will also provide funding for education and training staff, youth workers and for partnerships between universities, colleges, schools, enterprises, and not-for-profit organisations.

"I am pleased that the European Parliament has adopted Erasmus+ and proud that we have been able to secure a 40% budget increase compared with our current programmes. This demonstrates the EU's commitment to education and training. Erasmus+ will also contribute to the fight against youth unemployment by giving young people the opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills through experience abroad. As well as providing grants for individuals, Erasmus+ will support partnerships to help people make the transition from education to work, and reforms to modernise and improve the quality of education in Member States. This is crucial if we are to equip our young generation with the qualifications and skills they need to succeed in life," said Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.

Erasmus+ has three main targets: two-thirds of the budget is allocated to learning opportunities abroad for individuals, within the EU and beyond; the remainder will support partnerships between educational institutions, youth organisations, businesses, local and regional authorities and NGOs, as well as reforms to modernise education and training and to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and employability.

The new Erasmus+ programme combines all the EU's current schemes for education, training, youth and sport, including the Lifelong Learning Programme (Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius, Grundtvig), Youth in Action and five international cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries). This will make it easier for applicants to understand the opportunities available, while other simplifications will also facilitate access.

Erasmus+ who benefits?

·         2 million higher education students will be able to study or train abroad, including 450,000 traineeships;

·         650 000 vocational students and apprentices will receive grants to study, train or work abroad;

·         800 000 school teachers, lecturers, trainers, education staff and youth workers to teach or train abroad;

·         200 000 Master's degree students doing a full course in another country will benefit from loan guarantees;

·         More than 500 000 young people will be able to volunteer abroad or participate in youth exchanges;

·         More than 25 000 students will receive grants for joint master's degrees, which involve studying in at least two higher education institutions abroad;

·         125 000 schools, vocational education and training institutions, higher and adult education institutions, youth organisations and enterprises will receive funding to set up 25 000 'strategic partnerships' to promote the exchange of experience and links with the world of work;

·         3 500 education institutions and enterprises will get support to create more than 300 'Knowledge Alliances' and 'Sector Skills Alliances' to boost employability, innovation and entrepreneurship;

·         600 partnerships in sport, including European non-profit events, will also receive funding.

Background

Erasmus+ is being launched at a time when nearly six million young people are unemployed in the EU – with levels above 50% in Spain and Greece. At the same time, there are over 2 million vacancies, and a third of employers report difficulties in recruiting staff with the skills they need. This demonstrates a significant skills gap in Europe. Erasmus+ will address this gap by providing opportunities for people to study, train or gain experience abroad.

At the same time, the quality and relevance of Europe's education, training and youth systems will be increased through support for the professional development of education staff and youth workers and through cooperation between the worlds of education and work.

Student and apprentice mobility also boosts workers' mobility between Member States; people who have already studied or trained in another country are more likely to want to work abroad in future.

The €14.7 billion budget takes account of future estimates for inflation. Additional funds are expected to be allocated for higher education mobility and capacity building involving non-EU countries; the decision on this additional budget is not expected before 2014.

Erasmus+ includes, for the first time, a dedicated budget line for sport. It will allocate around €265 million over seven years to contribute to developing the European dimension in sport by helping to address cross-border threats such as match fixing and doping. It will also support transnational projects involving organisations in grassroots sport, promoting, for example, good governance, social inclusion, dual careers and physical activity for all.

Next steps

The proposal was adopted today by the European Parliament. Adoption by the Council (Member States) is expected within the next month. The Erasmus+ programme will start in January 2014.

For more information

See MEMO/13/1008

European Commission: Erasmus+website

The table shows the estimated number of recipients of EU grants for study, training, work experience and volunteering abroad under the Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action Programmes for 2007-2013. It covers the mobility actions that will be continued in Erasmus+.Annex 1: Grant recipients 2007-2013

Erasmus+ will provide funding for more than 4 million people to study, train, gain work experience or volunteer abroad, which represents an increase of around 50% compared with the numbers supported under the current programmes.

* The figures provided for each country are based on yearly reports by National Agencies and estimates for exchanges still to be reported under the current programmes. All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. The figures for Croatia are counted from the beginning of its participation in the programmes in 2011.

¹:

Amount in current prices taking account of estimated inflation in 2014-2020. This is equivalent of €13 billion in fixed/constant 2011 prices.

Erasmus+ Frequently Asked Questions

European Commission - MEMO/13/1008   19/11/2013

Other available languages: FR DE DA ES NL IT SV PT FI EL CS ET HU LT LV MT PL SK SL BG RO

European Commission

MEMO

Strasbourg/Brussels, 19 November 2013

Erasmus+ Frequently Asked Questions

(see also IP/13/1110)

What is Erasmus+?

Erasmus+ is the new European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport for 2014-2020. It replaces several existing EU programmes, covering all sectors of education: the Lifelong Learning Programme - Erasmus (higher education), Leonardo da Vinci (vocational education), Comenius (school education), Grundtvig (adult education), Youth in Action, and five international programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries). For the first time, Erasmus+ will also offer EU support for sport, particularly at grassroots' level.

Erasmus+ significantly increases EU funding (+40%) for the development of knowledge and skills, reflecting the importance of education and training in EU and national policy agendas. It aims to boost people's personal development and job prospects.

The new programme builds on the experience and success of existing programmes such as Erasmus, but will have an even greater impact. It is based on the premise that investing in education and training is the key to unlocking potential, regardless of age or background.

What will Erasmus+ support?

Erasmus+ aims to increase the quality and relevance of qualifications and skills. Two-thirds of its funding will provide grants for more than 4 million people to study, train, work or volunteer abroad in 2014-2020 (compared with 2.7 million in 2007-2013). The period abroad can range from a few days up to a year.

Erasmus+ is open to students, teachers, apprentices, volunteers, youth leaders and people working in grassroots' sport. It will also provide funding for partnerships between educational institutions, youth organisations, enterprises, local and regional authorities and NGOs, as well as support for reforms in Member States to modernise education and training and to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and employability.

There will be greater support for IT platforms such as e-twinning, to connect schools and other learning providers via the internet.

Erasmus+ will contribute to developingthe European dimension in sport by helping to address cross-border threats such as match fixing and doping. It will also support transnational projects involving organisations in grassroots sport, promoting, for example good governance, social inclusion, dual careers and physical activity for all ages.

How will Erasmus+ differ from the current programmes?

The new programme is more ambitious and strategic in nature while maintaining the main aims of improving skills and employability, as well as supporting the modernisation of education, training and youth systems.

Erasmus+ will develop synergies between different education sectors and with the world of work. A single programme will result in simpler application rules and procedures, and avoid fragmentation or duplication.

The programme has several new features:

1.      A loan guarantee scheme to help Master's students finance a full degree abroad to acquire the skills needed in knowledge intensive jobs.

2.      Knowledge Alliances: partnerships between higher education institutions and enterprise to promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship by offering new curricula, learning opportunities and qualifications.

3.      Sector Skills Alliances: partnerships between vocational education and training providers and enterprise to promote employability and address skills gaps by developing sector-specific curricula and innovative forms of vocational teaching.

4.      It integrates the currently separate programmes dealing with the international dimension of higher education, meaning higher education mobility to and from third countries and capacity building projects with higher education institutions in third countries will become possible.

What will change for students under Erasmus+?

Access to the programme will be increased in several ways. For example, Erasmus+ will offer stronger support to students wishing to improve their language skills before going to their Erasmus university or job placement. In addition, the development of flexible learning, such as distance or part-time learning, will be encouraged through improved use of information technologies.

Erasmus+ grants will more strongly target specific needs (such as the living cost in the destination country) and offer strengthened support for students from less privileged backgrounds, as well as those with disabilities or coming from outermost regions. Countries can complement the EU grant with top-up grants financed by their own national or regional budget.

Thanks to the loan guarantee, there will also be stronger support for students wishing to undertake a full Masters' degree course in another European country. The guarantee will in particular benefit students from less well-off backgrounds, who have been deterred in the past from studying abroad due to the lack of national grants or loans.

A new Erasmus Charter will contribute to a high quality learning experience through more rigorous agreements between higher education institutions which will specify the minimum expected level of student language skills and provide detailed information on housing and visa issues.

Will mobility still be a key aim?

Yes:mobility will continue to receive the largest portion (two-thirds) of the Erasmus+ budget. While maintaining a strong emphasis on student mobility, support for teachers, trainers and youth workers will be strengthened because of their 'multiplier' effect – they are more likely to achieve a systemic impact when they put into practice what they have learned abroad when they return to their home institutions.

How will Erasmus+ address youth unemployment?

Erasmus+ will contribute to fighting youth unemployment by helping young people to improve key skills such as proficiency in a foreign language, communication, adaptability or in learning how to live and work with people of different nationalities and cultures.

The programme will facilitate better cooperation between universities and employers to ensure that students benefit from curricula which are relevant to the skills they need in the world of work. In addition, it will help education establishments and youth organisations to develop closer links with enterprise. It will also support policy reform in priority areas, such as digital skills and increased labour market relevance of vocational education and training.

Erasmus+ also emphasises the importance of informal learning. Evidence shows that employers appreciate skills acquired through non-formal learning experiences, such as volunteering. Indeed, 75% of participants in the European Voluntary Service said that their career prospects had improved thanks to this experience.

Studies also show that students who spent part of their studies in a foreign country are more likely to take up a job abroad when entering the labour market.

What else is the Commission doing to increase student and youth mobility?

Funding is important, but money alone will not make learning mobility a reality for all. We also need to remove obstacles at national and regional levels, for example by improving access to information, ensuring national loans and grants can be used for international studies and improving the recognition for study and training results gained abroad.

In June 2011, EU Education Ministers committed to removing obstacles to studying or training abroad. In order to monitor progress on this agenda, the Commission, together with Member States, developed a 'mobility scoreboard', which tracks the performance of each EU Member State. The results will be publishedin the next few weeks.

Member States also agreed on mobility targets for higher education and vocational training students. By 2020 at least 20% of higher education graduates in the EU should have spent a period of higher education-related study or training abroad. In the vocational sector, more than 6% of 18-34 year olds with an initial vocational education and training qualification should have had a study or training period abroad by 2020.

Why do we need a new EU approach to education and training?

The world has changed considerably since the existing programmes were created. The EU is in the process of recovering from one of the most tumultuous economic periods of our time. Almost 6 million young people are unemployed in the EU, yet 36% of employers have difficulty finding people with the skills they need. The skills gap in Europe is alarming, with nearly 20% of 15 year olds lacking sufficient skills in reading and 73 million adults with low (or no) education qualifications.

The European job market is also changing. The number of jobs requiring high skills is growing while the number of low-skilled jobs is decreasing. It is estimated that by 2020 nearly 35% of all jobs will require high skills (equivalent to degree-level qualifications). One of the headline targets in the Europe 2020 strategy is to raise higher education attainment to 40% (from nearly 36% now) among the young adult population. Erasmus+ can contribute by helping people to enrich their skills through studying and training abroad and by helping education and training institutions to innovate and modernise.

Another key educational target is to reduce the share of early school leavers from the current 12.7% to less than 10%. To contribute to this goal, Erasmus+ will support modernisation of education and training, including school education, from early childhood to secondary level and initial vocational training. Non-formal learning will be supported as well through youth exchanges and volunteering.

Cooperation and partnerships with enterprise can also bridge the skills gap by making sure that curricula are relevant. The new programme will therefore promote cross-sectoral partnerships focused on this issue.

What will happen under the new programme in adult education?

The individual mobility of adult learners will no longer be supported, other than as part of a strategic partnership.

Teachers and staff involved in adult education, however, will continue to benefit through individual cross-border learning experiences (both short- and long-term). The three current staff mobility actions (in-service training, assistantships and visits & exchanges) will be amalgamated into one action. Strategic partnerships will contribute to the modernisation of organisations in adult education.

A new Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE) will also be launched.

What is the new Open Access requirement?

The Open Access requirement will ensure that all educational materials produced with funding from Erasmus+ are freely accessible to all, based on the principle that anything paid for with public money should benefit the public. Whenever an Erasmus+ beneficiary produces educational materials they will have to make them available to the public through the use of Open Licences and via Open Educational Resources (OER).

Which countries can participate in Erasmus+?

1.      The EU Member States

2.      Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates benefiting from a pre-accession strategy

3.      European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries that are party to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement

4.      The Swiss Confederation, provided it has signed a specific international agreement

5.      Countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, where a bilateral agreement has been concluded.

EU Member States are automatically Erasmus+ programme countries. The other countries in the list above can become 'programme countries' subject to fulfilling specific administrative conditions and the setting up of a National Agency to manage the programme.

All other countries in the world are 'partner countries' and may participate in certain actions or according to specific conditions.

Key figures: Erasmus+ (2014-2020)

¹:

Additional funds will be allocated for funding the actions with third countries (partner countries), but the decision will probably be taken in 2014.