Erasmus+ is the EU programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train gain experience, and volunteers abroad. Studying abroad is a central part of Erasmus+ and has been shown to have a positive effect on later job prospects. It is also an opportunity to improve language skills, gain self-confidence and independence and immerse yourself in a new culture. Erasmus+ also offers the chance to combine studying abroad with a traineeship. Opportunities are available for students at Bachelor, Master or Doctoral levels.
KEY ACTION 1: Mobility of Individuals
This Action is all about providing opportunities for individuals to improve their skills, enhance their employability and gain cultural awareness. Under Key Action 1 organisations can apply for funding to run mobility projects to enable organisations to offer structured study, work experience, job shadowing, training and teaching opportunities to staff and learners. Beneficiaries are able to spend a period of time in another participating country gaining valuable experience of life, study and work with the aim of increasing the opportunities available to them in the future.
Key Action 1 covers the five fields of higher education, vocational education and training, schools, adult education and youth. It is important to note that target groups and activities for Key Action 1 vary by field.
Key Action 1 is the largest action in Erasmus+ with 63% of programme budget supporting its focus on increasing mobility and skills. Decentralised activities: Mobility for higher education students and staff; Mobility for VET learners and staff; Mobility for school staff; Mobility for adult education staff; Mobility for young people and youth workers. Centralised activities: Joint Master's Degrees; Erasmus+ Master loan scheme; Large Scale European Voluntary Service Events.
KEY ACTION 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
The actions under KA2 make it possible for organisations from different participating countries to work together, to develop, share and transfer best practices and innovative approaches in the fields of education, training and youth.
The following actions are managed by the EACEA as part of the General call for proposals and described in detail in the Programme Guide: Knowledge Alliances cooperation between higher education institutions and enterprises; Sector Skills Alliances supporting the design and delivery of joint vocational training curricula, programmes and teaching and training methodologies; Capacity Building in the field of youth supporting cooperation with Partner Countries; Capacity Building in the field of higher education supporting cooperation with Partner Countries.
Additionally there will be a high number of Strategic Partnerships in the field of Education, Training and Youth supported through KA2. The selection and management of these takes place at national level.
KEY ACTION 3: Support for policy reform
Key Action 3 provides grants for a wide variety of actions aimed at stimulating innovative policy development, policy dialogue and implementation, and the exchange of knowledge in the fields of education, training and youth. The majority of them are managed by the EACEA. Most of the actions under KA3 are managed outside the annual general call for proposals.
Funds are also allocated to a range of calls for tender and restricted calls:
Studies and surveys with the aim to increase the knowledge in the fields of education, training and youth through the collection of evidence and analysis;
European policy tools improving the recognition of skills, qualifications and diplomas by facilitating the transfer of credits, and supporting skills management and guidance, the Bologna process and the quality assurance, etc;
Cooperation with international organisations to foster policy dialogue with partner countries, to promote international attractiveness of European Higher Education in the world and to support the network of Higher Education Reform Experts in partner Countries neighbouring the EU, Stakeholder dialogue, policy and programme promotion, to raise awareness about EU policies by supporting dialogue and policy promotion with public authorities, providers and stakeholders in the field of education, training and youth.
Teaching staff mobility
Teaching staff mobility enables staff to spend a teaching period between 1 day - or at least 5 teaching hours – and 6 weeks at a higher education institution in another participating country.
What are the objectives of staff mobility for teaching?
To encourage higher education institutions to broaden and enrich the range and content of courses they offer;
To allow students who do not have the possibility to participate in a mobility scheme, to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of academic staff from higher education institutions and from invited staff of enterprises in other European countries;
To promote exchange of expertise and experience on pedagogical methods;
To create links between higher education institutions and with enterprises;
To motivate students and staff to become mobile and to assist them in preparing a mobility period. Who can benefit? The teaching assignments may be carried out by teaching staff of higher education institutions and by invited staff of enterprises.
When the person carrying out the assignment is from a higher education institution, the assignment must be based on an inter-institutional agreement between the home and host institution. The partner higher education institution/enterprise must have agreed on the programme of the activities to be undertaken by the visiting teachers (teaching programme) prior to the start of the mobility period.
ERASMUS + programme coordinator in BAAU:
Gasimov Sayavush – Vise-rector for International Relations
