Erasmus +

This Key Action supports:
 Mobility projects in the field of education, training and youth;
 Large scale European Voluntary Service events;
 Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees;
 Erasmus+ Master Loans.
The Actions supported under this Key Action are expected to bring positive and long-lasting effects on the
participants and participating organisations involved, as well as on the policy systems in which such activities are
framed.
As regards students, trainees, apprentices, young people and volunteers, the mobility activities supported under
this Key Action are meant to produce the following outcomes:
 improved learning performance;
 enhanced employability and improved career prospects;
 increased sense of initiative and entrepreneurship;
 increased self-empowerment and self-esteem;
 improved foreign language competences;
 enhanced intercultural awareness;
 more active participation in society;
 better awareness of the European project and the EU values;
 increased motivation for taking part in future (formal/non-formal) education or training after the mobility
period abroad.
As regards staff, youth workers and professionals involved in education, training and youth, the mobility activities
are expected to produce the following outcomes:
 improved competences, linked to their professional profiles (teaching, training, youth work, etc.);
 broader understanding of practices, policies and systems in education, training or youth across countries;
 increased capacity to trigger changes in terms of modernisation and international opening within their
educational organisations;
 greater understanding of interconnections between formal and non-formal education, vocational training and
the labour market respectively;
 better quality of their work and activities in favour of students, trainees, apprentices, pupils, adult learners,
young people and volunteers;
 greater understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity;
 increased ability to address the needs of the disadvantaged;
 increased support for and promotion of mobility activities for learners;
 increased opportunities for professional and career development;
 improved foreign language competences;
 increased motivation and satisfaction in their daily work.
Activities supported under this Action are also expected to produce the following outcomes on participating organisations:
 increased capacity to operate at EU/international level: improved management skills and internationalisation
strategies; reinforced cooperation with partners from other countries; increased allocation of financial
resources (other than EU funds) to organise EU/international projects; increased quality in the preparation,
implementation, monitoring and follow up of EU/international projects;
 innovative and improved way of operating towards their target groups, by providing for example: more
attractive programmes for students, trainees, apprentices, young people and volunteers in line with their
needs and expectations; improved qualifications of teaching and training staff; improved processes of
recognition and validation of competences gained during learning periods abroad; more effective activities for
the benefit of local communities, improved youth work methods and practices to actively involve young
people and/or to address disadvantaged groups, etc.;
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Programme Guide
 more modern, dynamic, committed and professional environment inside the organisation: ready to integrate
good practices and new methods into daily activities; open to synergies with organisations active in different
social, educational and employment fields; planning strategically the professional development of their staff
in relation to individual needs and organisational objectives; if relevant, capable of attracting excellent
students and academic staff from all over the world.
In the long run, the combined effect of the several thousands of projects supported under this Key Action is
expected to have an impact on the systems of education, training and youth in the participating countries, thus
stimulating policy reforms and attracting new resources for mobility opportunities in Europe and beyond.

This Key Action supports:
 Strategic Partnerships in the field of education, training and youth;
 Knowledge Alliances;
 Sector Skills Alliances;
 Capacity Building in the field of higher education;
 Capacity Building in the field of youth.
The Actions supported under this Key Action are expected to bring positive and long-lasting effects on the
participating organisations, on the policy systems in which such Actions are framed as well as on the persons
directly or indirectly involved in the organised activities.
This Key Action is expected to result in the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices
at organisational, local, regional, national or European levels.
For the participating organisations, projects supported under this Key Action are intended to produce the
following outcomes:
 innovative approaches to addressing their target groups, by providing for example: more attractive education
and training programmes, in line with individuals’ needs and expectations; use of participatory approaches
and ICT-based methodologies; new or improved processes of recognition and validation of competences;
greater effectiveness of activities for the benefit of local communities; new or improved practices to cater for
the needs of disadvantaged groups and to deal with social, linguistic and cultural diversity; the opportunity to
be awarded the European Language Label for excellence in language learning or teaching; new approaches
to address geographical and socio-economic disparities of learning outcomes; new approaches to better
support competitiveness and employment in particular at regional and local level;
 a more modern, dynamic, committed and professional environment inside the organisation: ready to
integrate good practices and new methods into daily activities; open to synergies with organisations active in
different fields or in other socio-economic sectors; strategic planning of professional development for staff in
line with individual needs and organisational objectives;
 increased capacity and professionalism to work at EU/international level: improved management
competences and internationalisation strategies; reinforced cooperation with partners from other countries,
other fields of education, training and youth and/or other socio-economic sectors; increased allocation of
financial resources (other than EU funds) to organise EU/international projects in the field of education,
training and youth; increased quality in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and follow-up of
EU/international projects.
Projects funded under this Key Action are also likely to have a positive impact on the persons directly or indirectly
involved in the activities, such as, for example:
 increased sense of initiative and entrepreneurship;
 increased competence in foreign languages;
 increased level of digital competence;
 greater understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity;
 improved levels of skills for employability and new business creation (including social entrepreneurship);
 more active participation in society;
 more positive attitude towards the European project and the EU values;
 better understanding and recognition of skills and qualifications in Europe and beyond;
 improved competences, linked to their professional profiles (teaching, training, youth work, etc.);
 broader understanding of practices, policies and systems in education, training or youth across countries;
 greater understanding of interconnections between formal, non-formal education, vocational training, other
forms of learning and labour market respectively;
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Part B – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
 increased opportunities for professional development;
 increased motivation and satisfaction in their daily work.
At systemic level, they are expected to trigger modernisation and reinforce education, training and youth systems
response to the main challenges of today’s world (employment, economic stability and growth, as well as active
participation in democratic life). Therefore, the impact of this Key Action is intended to be:
 increased quality of education and training and youth work in Europe and beyond: combining higher levels of
excellence and attractiveness with increased opportunities for all, including those at disadvantage;
 education, training and youth systems that are better aligned to the needs of and opportunities offered by
the labour market, and closer links to business and the community;
 improved provision and assessment of basic and transversal skills, particularly entrepreneurship, language
competences and digital skills;
 increased synergies and links and improved transition between the different systems of education, training
and youth at national level, with improved use of European reference tools for recognition, validation and
transparency of competences and qualifications;
 increased use of learning outcomes when describing and defining qualifications, parts of qualifications and
curricula, in support to teaching and learning and in assessment;
 new and increased inter-regional and cross-border cooperation of public authorities in the fields of education,
training and youth;
 more strategic and integrated use of ICTs and open educational resources (OER) by education, training and
youth systems;
 increased motivation for language learning through innovative teaching methods or better links to practical
use of language skills required by the labour market;
 reinforced interaction between practice, research and policy in each system.

The activities in support for policy reform are targeted at the achievement of the goals of the Europe 2020
Strategy, of the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) and of the
European Youth Strategy.
WHICH ACTIONS ARE SUPPORTED?
The following Action is implemented through this Programme Guide:
 Structured Dialogue: meetings between young people and decision-makers in the field of youth.
This Part B of the Guide provides detailed information on the criteria and funding rules applying to this Action.
In addition, Key Action 3 covers many other Actions in support for policy reform in the education, training and
youth fields. These Actions are implemented directly by the European Commission or through specific calls for
proposals managed by the Executive Agency. A concise description of these Actions is provided below. More
information is available on the websites of the European Commission, Executive Agency and National Agencies.
These other Actions are:
Knowledge in the fields of education, training and youth, involving evidence gathering, analysis and peer
learning. In particular:
 thematic and country-specific expertise, studies on policy issues and reforms, including the activities carried
out by the Eurydice network;
 support to the participation of countries in European/international surveys aimed at monitoring specific
trends and developments, including the evolution of language competences development in Europe;
 EU Presidency events, conferences and high-level meetings;
 exchanges of experience and good practice and peer reviews;
 support to the implementation of the Open Methods of Coordination.
Initiatives for policy innovation aimed to develop new policies or prepare their implementation. They include
specific calls for proposals managed by the Executive Agency on: a) forward-looking cooperation projects on
policy development; b) European policy experimentations, led by high-level public authorities and involving field
trials in several countries based on sound evaluation methods.
Support to European policy tools, in particular:
 Transparency tools (skills and qualifications), to facilitate transparency and recognition of skills and
qualifications, as well as the transfer of credits, foster quality assurance, support skills management and
guidance. This Action will also include networks providing support for the implementation of those tools;
 Skills intelligence for the development and support of European tools such as the EU Skills Panorama –online
platform;
 Networks supporting specific policy areas such as literacy and adult learning, as well as youth work and
youth information (SALTO and Eurodesk);
 Dedicated higher education tools – development and support to tools such as U-Multirank, support to the
Bologna Process or to the external dimension of higher education; the national teams of Higher Education
Reform Experts in neighbourhood and enlargement, as well as Russia and Central Asia;
 Dedicated VET tools for the implementation of the VET Mobility Charter, to increase the quality level of
organised mobility, and to support the National Authorities on apprenticeships in increasing the quality and
supply of apprenticeships throughout Europe.
Cooperation with international organisations, such as the OECD and the Council of Europe. This Action will
also foster policy dialogue with Partner Countries as well as the promotion of the international attractiveness of
European higher education in the world. It will also support the network of Higher Education Reform Experts in
Partner Countries neighbouring the EU and the international alumni associations.
Stakeholder dialogue, policy and Programme promotion, including:
 Civil Society Cooperation supporting European NGOs and EU-wide networks in the fields of education,
training and youth though a specific call for proposals managed by the Executive Agency;
 public events, meetings, debates and consultations with policy makers and stakeholders on relevant policy
issues (such as the Education, Training and Youth Forum or the European Youth Week);
Part B – Support for policy reform

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 Structured Dialogue in the youth field, including the support to National Working Groups as well as meetings
promoting dialogue between young people and decision-makers (see section below);
 awareness-raising, information and dissemination activities on policy outcomes and priorities, on the
Erasmus+ Programme, its results and its potential synergies with other EU programmes, in particular the
European Structural and Investment Funds.
The Actions implemented through this Key Action are aimed to:
 improve the quality, efficiency and equity of education, training and youth systems through Open Methods of
Coordination. Support the implementation of the general and Country-Specific Recommendations resulting
from the European Semesters;
 promote transnational cooperation and mutual learning between competent authorities at the highest
political level in order to test and improve systems, structures and processes;
 develop knowledge – in particular through peer learning – and analytical capacity to support evidence-based
policy under the Strategic framework for cooperation in education and training (ET2020), the European Youth
Strategy and specific policy agendas such as the Bologna and Copenhagen processes;
 make available sound comparative international data and appropriate secondary analyses for European and
national policy making, facilitating the collection and analysis of substantive evidence to assess and monitor
the implementation of innovative policies and to encourage transferability and scalability;
 support European networks and implement tools fostering transparency and recognition of skills and
qualifications acquired through formal, non-formal and informal learning, paving the way to a European Area
for Skills and Qualifications;
 support the active involvement of civil society networks and non-governmental organisations in policy
implementation;
 support the Structured Dialogue with young people and encourage their active participation in democratic life
 support exchanges of good practices, dialogue, mutual learning and cooperation among policy makers,
practitioners and stakeholders from Programme and Partner Countries;
 raise awareness of the results of European policies and of the Erasmus+ Programme and encourage their
exploitation at local, regional or national level. Raise the profile and attractiveness of European higher
education worldwide;
 foster synergies with other EU programmes, such as the European Structural and Investment Funds, as well
as with funding schemes at national or regional level.