Whether you are interested in vocational training, or you're a university student or recent graduate interested in gaining some work experience the Leonardo Da Vinci, Erasmus, Comenius and Marie Curie programme can help you gain the skills and qualifications you need to improve your employability. Click on the links below to find out more about the programmes!
Students
Erasmus
What is Erasmus?
Erasmus enables students in higher education to do a traineeship in another participating European country. The aim is to foster a Europe-wide approach to higher education through European cross-border mobility.
Students
Students can do a traineeship for a period between 3 and 12 months in a company / organisation in another participating European country. The Erasmus grant helps to cover the travel and subsistence costs (including insurance and visa costs) incurred in connection with their placement period abroad. They may also receive a financial contribution or a contribution in kind by the host enterprise/organisation. Intensive language courses are available to help Erasmus students prepare for their period abroad in countries with less-widely-used and less-taught languages.
Who can take part?
Erasmus is open to:
- Students in formal higher education, advanced vocational education and training at post-secondary level, including doctoral studies;
- Teachers, trainers and education staff, including relevant associations, research centres, counselling organisations and others involved in lifelong learning;
- Enterprises, social partners and other stakeholders, as well as public and private bodies providing education and training at local, regional and national levels.
Eligible countries are the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey Croatia and Switzerland.
How do I apply?
Students should initially approach the international office of their university or college.
Universities and other organisations should approach the national agency in their country.
The addresses for national agencies can be found via the website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc1208_en.htm
Centralised actions such as networks, multilateral projects and the award of the Erasmus University Charter are managed by the Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture, based in Brussels.
Where do I get more information?
Comenius
What is Comenius?
Comenius offers exchanges and cooperation between schools in different countries. It aims to boost the quality of school education, strengthen its European dimension and promote mobility, language learning and greater inclusion.
Mobility of individuals
- Comenius in-service training in another country allows teachers and other school education staff to improve their practical skills and gain a broader understanding of school education in Europe through professional development courses, conferences and job shadowing.
- Comenius assistantships allow future teachers to spend between 3 and 10 months in a school abroad, where they assist in teaching in the host school.
- Comenius individual pupil mobility gives secondary school pupils the possibility of spending between 3 and 10 months in a host school and a host family abroad.
Partnerships
- Multilateral school partnerships allow pupils and their teachers to take part in joint learning activities with schools from different European countries. This helps to foster intercultural awareness and improve skills in the chosen areas.
- Language-oriented bilateral school partnerships encourage the use of European languages by giving pupils the chance to practice them abroad through class exchanges, with pupils working together at school and hosted in each other’s families.
- Comenius regio partnerships help local and regional stakeholders in school education (teachers, pupils and those responsible for education systems) to exchange good practices.
- eTwinning uses the Internet to help teachers across Europe to meet each other, exchange ideas and resources, and set up collaborative projects with their pupils. Rather than funding, it offers them support, training, tools and examples of good practice.
Multilateral projects and networks
- Comenius multilateral projects bring together schools, educational staff, training institutions and other organisations active in school education to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom and to help student teachers to get teaching experience abroad.
- Comenius multilateral networks are forums for joint reflection to promote innovation and good practice in a thematic area.
Accompanying measures
- Comenius accompanying measures help the Comenius programme reach its objectives, for instance by raising awareness of the importance of school cooperation at European level.
- Preparatory visits allow potential partners in Comenius projects to meet and define the objectives and work plan of their future project.
Who can take part?
Participation is open to all active members of the school education community: pupils, teachers, local authorities, parents’ associations, not-for-profit organisations, non-governmental organisations involved in school education, teacher training institutes, universities, research centres and all other educational staff.
Eligible countries are the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Croatia and Switzerland.
How do I apply?
School-children should approach their teacher.
Teachers, schools and other organisations interested in:
- Mobility, partnerships or preparatory visits should approach the national agency in their country: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learningprogramme/doc1208_en.htm
- Multilateral projects, networks or accompanying measures should approach the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency:
See http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.htm
eTwinning: http://www.etwinning.net
Where do I get more information?
Leonardo da Vinci - Initial vocational training
What is Initial Vocational Training?
The Leonardo da Vinci's 'Initial Vocational Training' programme funds individual participants (apprentice, pupil, trainee, etc) to undertake a training placement in an enterprise or a training institution in another participating country.
This programme is divided into two sub-groups:
A) Mobility of apprentices
B) Mobility of persons in school-based initial vocational training
Who can take part?
The Leonardo da Vinci programme is for people in initial vocational education and training:
- Apprentices and people in secondary school-based learning;
- People in the labour market (with a vocational or higher education background);
- Teachers, trainers and other staff responsible for vocational training;
- Institutions and bodies such as associations and representatives of those involved in vocational education and training, including associations of trainees, parents and teachers’ associations;
- Enterprises, social partners and other representatives of working life, including chambers of commerce and other trade organisations;
- Research centres and bodies concerned with lifelong learning issues and any aspect of vocational education and training at local, regional and national levels.
- Non-profit organisations, voluntary bodies and non-governmental organisations.
Eligible countries are the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Croatia and Switzerland.
How do I apply?
Interested individuals should apply via an organisation managing Leonardo funds (their training institution, employer or labour office, for instance).
The national agencies’ websites contain more detailed information.
Training institutions and other organisations should approach the national agency in their country. Their addresses can be found on the website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc1208_en.htm
Centralised actions such as multilateral networks or ‘Development of innovation’ projects are managed by the Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture, based in Brussels.
Where do I get more information?
Alar Albrecht, Estonia, went to Italy to train as a chef
The name of the restaurant where I worked was "Il Casale". My work placement was so successful that I'm now able to open my own pasta restaurant. It gave me such a remarkable experience ...