PowerPointPrsentation

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Promoting the Learning Mobility of Young People
Green Paper, July 2009
DG Education and Culture
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Structure

• I. Introduction
• II. Preparing for a mobility period
• III. Being abroad and follow-up after return
• IV. New partnership for mobility
• V. Conclusions
• VI. How to take part in the consultation

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I. What do we mean by Learning Mobility (LM)?

•   Transnational mobility for the purpose of
  acquiring new skills 

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I. Why is LM important?

• Strengthens employability and personal
  development
• Can prepare for mobility in working life
• Makes ET systems more open, more European and
  more international
• Enhances Europe's competitiveness (Lisbon
  Strategy)?
• Helps combat isolationism and xenophobia

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I. Why a Green Paper?

• 2007 20th anniversary of ERASMUS programme
• June 2008 High Level Expert Forum on Mobility
• July 2008 Renewed Social Agenda (5th freedom)?
• Nov. 2008 Council requests LM for all young
  people
• April 2009 Leuven Conference (20 by 2020)?
• June 2009 Employment Communication (stress on M)
  
• Consensus on objectives, need for strategies
• Open debate with stakeholders

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I. What kind of mobility?

• M of young people in all sectors (schools, HE,
  VET, volunteers, youth exchanges...)?
• Organised M, linked to learning outcomes
• Mainly within Europe, but also beyond
• Not only like-to-like M, but also cross-sector M
• Primarily physical M, but virtual M can play
  important role
• Concentrates on young people ( around 16-35 y)?

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I. Where do we stand?

• Numerous European programmes Lifelong Learning
  Programme, Marie Curie, Culture, Youth in Action,
  Europe for citizens...
• European tools ECTS, ECVET, Europass, EQF,
  Diploma Supplement, Youth Pass, EURAXESS...
• BUT in 2006 only 310,000 of 16-29 y olds
  profited from EU programmes ( 0.3)?
• Clearly much more could be done to boost LM

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II. Information and Guidance

• Funding opportunities (EU, national,
  regional...)?
• Learning opportunities (portals like PLOTEUS,
  study in Europe, etc.)
• Practical guidance on housing, living costs, etc.
• Q How can the availability of info and
  guidance be improved?

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II. Promotion and Motivation

• Various factors can prevent LM time pressure to
  finish ET programme, jobs, lack of funding, lack
  of linguistic skills, etc.
• Need for guaranteed positive outcome of LM,
  mainly in form of recognition
• Q How can young people be better informed
  about benefits of LM?

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II. Languages and Culture

• Two key competences to be acquired through LM
  foreign languages and intercultural skills
• Barcelona objective 2002 mother tongue 2
  languages for all
• Linguistic obstacles to LM prevail
• Q How can these obstacles best be addressed?

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II. Legal issues

• Legal status of young people undertaking LM is
  not always clear (e.g. for young professionals)?
• Legal regulations in some MS inhibit LM,
  especially in schools and VET
• Unclear status of doctoral students/young
  researchers students or employees?
• Q What are the main legal obstacles to LM?
• How can they be overcome?

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II. Portability of grants and loans

• Social benefits and loans from home country are
  not always portable, often in contravention of
  Community law.
• Guidance to public authorities and stakeholders
  in MS on the existing case law might be helpful
• Q What obstacles have you encountered regarding
  the portability of grants and loans?

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II. Mobility to and from the EU

• EU Directives on visa for students and
  researchers facilitate incoming M
• Visa problems exist in with regard to volunteers,
  pupil exchange and unremunerated training
• Q What more should be done to promote mobility
  to and from the EU?

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II. Preparing the stay abroad

• LM needs to be of high quality, therefore
• Careful and transparent selection procedures
• Careful matching with host instititution/
  organisation
• Good linguistic preparation
• Stay abroad should fit into personal learning
  path
• European Quality Charter for M can help
• Q What measures can be taken to ensure the high
  quality of the stay abroad?

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II. Reaching out to disadvantaged groups

• Economically or socially disadvantaged, people
  with special needs, underprivileged migrants
• Advantages of LM apply to them in particular
  coping with globalisation, increased
  competitiveness, social cohesion
• LLP, Erasmus Mundus and Youth in Action provide
  specific support to be widened to other
  programmes
• Q What are the most important difficulties in
  this area and how can they be overcome?

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III. Mentoring and Integration

• The host institution/organisation should provide
  mentoring and integration schemes to help the
  mobile person to settle into the new surroundings
• Q Can you give examples of good practice?

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III. Recognition and Validation

• Bologna Process, Copenhagen Process and European
  Research Area have improved conditions for
  educational recognition
• European tools ECTS, EVET, EQF, etc.
• In the spirit of LLL, also non-formal and
  informal learning should be validated
• Q Is the validation and recognition of learning
  still an obstacle to LM?

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IV. New partnership for M Mobilising Actors
and Resources

• Extending opportunites for LM requires concerted
  action of all players public authorities, civil
  society, business
• Cooperation should be strengthened, among
  regions, schools and universities, NGOs, ...
• Various EU sources for funding of LM exist, but a
  much broader basis is needed
• Q How can all actors be better mobilised in the
  interest of LM?

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IV. More active involvement from the business
world

• Internships, research programmes and
  collaborative projects with businesses should be
  encouraged in all disciplines and sectors
• Businesses can also contribute to the funding of
  LM
• LM of young entrepreneurs enhances
  internatio-nalisation and competitiveness of
  Europe's businesses
• Q How can businesses be motivated to be more
  strongly involved in LM?

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IV. Virtual Networking and eTwinning

• Use of ITCs can help young people to prepare a
  stay abroad and to keep in touch afterwards
• It can also provide an international dimension to
  the non-mobile learners
• Virtual networking/eTwinning can help interactive
  communities, interested individuals, etc. to
  improve the quality of LM and make it more
  sustainable
• Q How can we best make use of ICTs to enrich
  physical mobility?

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IV. Engaging the Multipliers

• Teachers, trainers and youth wokers who have been
  mobile themselves can be important motivators
• But being mobile oneself and helping young people
  to become mobile requires considerable commitment
  which needs to be recognised
• Language teachers and formerly mobile people
  (alumni etc.) are also important groups of
  multipliers
• Q What are the main obstacles to a stronger
  engagement of teachers and trainers in
  promoting LM?

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IV. Mobility Targets

• Targets can be useful tools in motivating
  stakeholders to reach new objectives
• Leuven Conference (Aptil 09, Bologna Process) set
  the target of 20 of HE graduates to have a
  mobility experience by 2020
• Q Do you consider targets useful in defining a
  mobility strategy, and if so, at what level
  (European, national, regional, institutional)?

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V. Conclusions

• The Commission calls upon all stakeholders, from
  governments to individuals, to support its
  efforts to make LM the rule rather than the
  exception
• Many issues imply action at national, regional
  and institutional level, plus the active
  involvement of civil society, business and other
  stakeholders
• The Commission will carefully evaluate the
  feedback to the consultation and prepare a
  proposal for the practical follow-up

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How to take part in the consultation?

• Responses by interested parties via mail or to
  EAC-GREEN-PAPER-MOBILITY_at_ec.europa.eu
• Online multiple-choice questionnaire, tailored to
  the wider public http//ec.europa.eu/dgs/educatio
  n_culture/consult/
• Consultation open until 15 December 2009 in
  2010 the Commission will provide proposals for
  follow-up