Erasmus Programs

Erasmus Plus is a European Union program that aims to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It offers a range of opportunities for students, teachers, youth workers, and others to study, volunteer, gain work experience, and receive training abroad.

The program was established in 1987 and was previously known as the Erasmus program. In 2014, it was reformed and expanded and renamed Erasmus Plus. It combines several prior EU initiatives including the Lifelong Learning Program, Youth in Action, and international cooperation programs. The Erasmus Plus program has a budget of €14.7 billion to provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans over the period of 2014-2020.

There are three main types of opportunities offered by Erasmus Plus:

Mobility projects – These allow individuals to spend a period living, studying, training, teaching, or volunteering in another country. This can be at any stage in their education from school to postgraduate and even adult education. These projects allow young people to gain cultural awareness, language skills, personal development and new perspectives.

Cooperation projects – These are collaborative partnerships between organizations in different countries working together on initiatives to share knowledge and experience. This includes sector-specific partnerships to develop innovations, exchanges of good practices, and promoting links between education and employment.

Policy reform projects – These aim to modernize education and training systems through activities facilitating policy dialogue and implementation. This provides opportunities for those involved in education, training, and youth work to contribute to strategic developments across Europe.

In addition to education, Erasmus Plus also supports activities in the field of sports. It funds grassroots projects and cross-border challenges such as combating match-fixing, doping, violence, racism and intolerance.

The benefits of participating in Erasmus Plus are immense. As well as enhancing employability, it allows people to build new relationships, experience personal growth, and gain a broader perspective. The program epitomizes the ideals of mobility, cooperation and unity across Europe.

Erasmus Plus has made a significant contribution over its 30+ year history. It has enabled over 9 million people to study, train, volunteer and gain life experience abroad. The program has enhanced lives, reinforced a sense of European identity and citizenship and equipped people with skills for the future. Erasmus Plus projects continue to provide life-changing opportunities to create a more innovative, cooperative and progressive Europe.