Erasmus+ is the EU program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe
Erasmus+ is a unique program that seeks to boost job prospects and personal development, as well as helping our education, training and youth systems to provide teaching and learning that equip people with the skills needed for the labor market and the current and future society.
Its budget of 14,700 million euros offers study opportunities, experience acquisition and volunteering to more than 4 million Europeans. The European Commission is responsible for Erasmus + policies and oversees the overall implementation of the programme.
Erasmus + in the field of Education and Training offers opportunities in all educational sectors: Higher Education, Vocational Training, School Education and Adult Education, with the aim of:
- Improve the level of basic skills and competences, taking into account their relevance in the labor market and their contribution to the cohesion of society, increasing mobility opportunities for learning reasons and reinforcing cooperation between the world of education and training and the world of work.
- Promote improvements in quality, excellence in innovation and the internationalization of education and training institutions, in particular by enhancing transnational cooperation.
- Improve the teaching and learning of languages and promote the wide linguistic diversity of the European Union and intercultural awareness.
- Promote the emergence and awareness of a European area of lifelong learning, designed to support reforms of national policies and the modernization of education and training systems, in particular by promoting political cooperation and better use of transparency tools and recognition of the EU and dissemination of good practices.
- Enhance the international dimension of education and training, in particular through cooperation between the program and the institutions of the partner countries in the field of Vocational Training and Higher Education, increasing the attractiveness of European institutions and supporting action outside of the European Union.
The Program involves three “Key Actions” in the areas of Education, Vocational Education and Training and Youth, and two additional actions:
- Key Action 1, to promote and support mobility of students and trainers for learning reasons.
- Key Action 2, for cooperation in innovation and the exchange of good practices.
- Key Action 3, to stimulate the development of innovative policies, dialogue and policy implementation, and the exchange of knowledge.
- Jean Monet, to promote excellence in teaching and research.
- Sport, to support European alliances in sport and promote good governance, the dual career of athletes and equal opportunities.
Sector Skills Alliances
Within Key Action 2, the Erasmus+ programme establishes different lines of action:
- Strategic Partnerships in the field of Education and Vocational Training.
- Knowledge Alliances, between Higher Education and companies.
- Sector Skills Alliances.
- Capacity building in the field of Higher Education.
The BuS.Trainers project is part of the Key Action 2, Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices, Sector Skills Alliances.
The Sector Skills Alliances are transnational projects based on the observed trends in a specific economic sector and on the skills needed to perform job in one or more professional fields. The Sector Skills Alliances work to design and produce joint programs of Vocational Education and Training as well as teaching and training methodologies, in cooperation between educational institutions and the business world.
They focus especially on work-based learning and on providing learners with the skills demanded by the labor market. They also implement the recognition instruments of the whole EU, such as EQF, ECVET and EQAVET.
The actions supported by this Key Action have positive and lasting effects on the participating organizations, on the political systems that frame them and on the people directly or indirectly involved in the organized activities. In general, it contributes to improving employment opportunities and personal skills and, in this way, boosting the competitiveness of the European economy.
More info: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (Eacea). EACEA-EPLUS-SSA@ec.europa.eu