Mobility

General background and role of regional and local authorities

Mobility has been recognised in the last years by EU Institutions as a core action in lifelong learning and employment policies. The EC Communication on Youth on the Move gives mobility great importance not only in general and higher education, but also in VET and the labour market. Through various Erasmus+ calls, the European Commission aims to strengthen strategic approaches and quality in mobility in vocational education and training.

The role and contribution of Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) in mobility are particularly important, as stated in the Barcelona Declaration. LRAs manage European and national programmes but also design, finance and implement their own mobility projects. Their contribution is aiming at ensuring the quality of the experience and the recognition of the learning of the participants to mobility actions. Furthermore, they act as intermediary body among all involved stakeholders, including companies.

The consistency between mobility policies and regional programming allows the achievement of notable impact, through focusing intervention on the economic sectors in which mobility can produce greater benefits and therefore can be more appreciated.

Purposes of the Working Group

The aim of the working group is to establish mobility as an integral part of vocational education and training (VET) and adult education.

More specifically:

International approach of schools / VET centres.
Individual progress of VET students: international professional competences, language, social skills and intercultural competences.

Ongoing activities

EARLALL Mobility Pool
Erasmus+ project applications
EU Advocacy: Mobility in VET is one the priorities of the ET2020 strategy. DG EAC and DG EMPL in the European Commission, CULT and EMPL Committees in the European Parliament, as well as Presidencies of the European Council are advancing in the topic. EARLALL is positioning as a relevant partner and with the aim of giving a regional dimension to the initiatives.

Past activities

Building Resilient Skills Ecosystems, joint initiative with the Skills & Labour Market WG.
Mobility WG meeting at EU Regions Week 2019
EARLALL and FREREF Joint Position Paper on VET Mobility: EARLALL, together with FREREF, participated in the workshop “Mobility in VET and Apprenticeships” as part of the European Business Forum on Vocational Training. The two associations presented a joint position paper to enhance the role of regions in VET mobility, titled “Regions in action to sustain and develop VET learner mobility”. Click here to download the position paper in English, and here for the position paper in French.
One of the key challenges in implementing high-quality mobility projects is to find and build
sustainable network partnerships. The “Developing Mobility Projects – Creating Networks” seminars intend to bring together key players on an operational level, who are involved in the planning and implementation of mobility projects and wish to expand their transnational networks: teachers, trainers at VET-schools and colleges, trainers in companies and those teachers, who are in charge of the topic of mobility in their institution or company. The first seminar took place on 16-18 September in Esslingen.