The Erasmus+ programme aims to boost skills and employability, as well as modernising Education, Training, and Youth work. The seven year programme have a budget of €14.7 billion; a 40% increase compared to current spending levels, reflecting the EU's commitment to invest in these area.
Erasmus+ will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad.
Erasmus+ will support transnational partnerships among Education, Training, and Youth institutions and organisations to foster cooperation and bridge the worlds of Education and work in order to tackle the skills gaps we are facing in Europe.
As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for cooperation across the Education, Training, Youth, and Sport sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
In the field of education and training, the Erasmus initiative is renowned for the opportunities it provides students to learn abroad, as well as the opportunities it provides for teaching staff in higher education.
Building on these, the Erasmus+ programme now covers five major areas of education and training:
- School education opportunities for staff and institutions;
- Vocational education and training opportunities for students, apprentices, trainees, staff, institutions, and business;
- Higher Education opportunities for students, staff, institutions, and businesses;
- Adult Education opportunities for staff, institutions, and businesses;
- European Integration opportunities for academic and research staff and institutions.
Funding for youth activities under Erasmus+ aims to improve the key competences, skills and employability of young people, promote young people's social inclusion and well-being, and foster improvements in youth work and youth policy at local, national and international level.
Concretely in the field of youth, the Erasmus+ programme offers three main opportunities:
- Key Action 1: mobility opportunities for young people and youth workers. Young people have the opportunity to participate in youth-exchanges or to volunteer for a period up to one year in another country. Youth workers can take part in training and networking activities abroad or spend some time in a youth organisation abroad for a job shadowing or an observation period.
- Key Action 2: opportunities for cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practices. Organisations can apply for funding to work in partnership with organisations from other participating countries. The projects funded under this action will focus on sharing, developing and transferring innovative practices in education, training and youth provision between participating countries.
- Key Action 3: opportunities to support policy reform. The Erasmus+ programme will fund strategic activities supporting policy reform across the EU. Funding opportunities in the field of youth under this action can take the form of meetings between young people and decision makers.
SPORT
In the field of sport, the Erasmus+ Programme aims to support actions that result in the development, transfer, and implementation of innovative ideas and practices at European, national, regional, and local level.
It is also expected that Sport Actions will contribute to the development of a European dimension to sport, increasing cooperation and harmonisation between sport organisations.
The Erasmus+ programme provides support for several opportunities in the field of sport, including funding for:
- Collaborative partnerships
- Non-profit European sports events
- Actions that strengthen the evidence base for policy-making
Find out More about Erasmus+
More information can be obtained from the Education, Audiovisual, and Culture Executive Agency.
