IT
PRESS RELEASE
24.10.2023 – INAPP: ‘ERASMUS+ EFFECT, THANKS TO THE EUROPEAN PROGRAMME 4 OUT OF 10 YOUNG PEOPLE GAINED WORK EXPERIENCE ABROAD AND 35% FOUND A JOB THAT MATCHED THEIR PROFILE’
Fadda: ‘The Erasmus-millennium generation is one that has internalised the value of travelling across Europe and seizing the opportunity to develop their social, transversal and professional skills. The experience is useful for acquiring specific professional skills, immediately spendable in the labour market, and at the same time allows the development of soft skills, such as the ability to work in a team, creative thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to adapt to international and multicultural approaches’.
Rome, 24 October 2023 – About three years after the launch of the 2021-2027 programming phase, the Erasmus+ programme confirms the successes of the previous edition. A survey conducted by the INAPP Erasmus+ National Agency showed that 40% of young people who took part in Eramus+ had the opportunity to work abroad, 57% decided to continue their studies because of the experience and 35% found a job that suited their profile.
Looking at the current programming phase, more than 19 thousand young people between 15 and 19 years old from all Italian regions, but especially from Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Lombardy, took part in these experiences from 2021 to date. This number seems to be bound to increase as the projects financed between 2021 and 2023 are around 34,000.
The most popular destinations are Spain, Ireland and Malta, followed by France and Germany. As host country, Italy is the second most popular destination for Erasmus+ mobility experiences in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, after Spain and before Ireland and Portugal.
Some of this data will be presented today at the event “The Erasmus+ Programme 2021-2027 towards the mid-term evaluation”, the flagship event of the seventh edition of the European Vocational Skills Week, the initiative promoted by the European Commission and running from 23 to 27 October.
“The data increasingly shows the profile of an Erasmus-millennium generation,” said Prof. Sebastiano Fadda, president of Inapp, “A generation that has internalised the value of travelling in Europe as an opportunity to develop its social, transversal and professional skills. The experience, in fact, on the one hand proves to be effective in acquiring specific professional skills, immediately spendable in the labour market. On the other hand, it also allows the development of soft skills, such as the ability to work in a team, creative thinking, problem-solving, international and multicultural approaches—skills that are increasingly sought after by employers to cope with a globalised and rapidly changing economy’.
The survey conducted by the INAPP Erasmus+ National Agency on participants in the previous iteration of the programme also showed that these experiences were highly appreciated by participants: 83% said they had gained significant benefits and virtually all of them (98%) would recommend it to a friend. Participants also stated that the programme met all their expectations: pre-departure expectations were met for 93% of participants (“very much” for 47% and “fairly” for 46%). Those who undertook a longer placement (2-6 months) perceived a greater effect on employability (in terms of developing specific vocational and language skills and entering the job market) than those who undertook a shorter placement (2 weeks – 2 months).
It is important to stress that for 67% of young people who took part in the survey, Erasmus mobility was not their first travel experience, as they had already gone abroad for study, work or leisure.
In relation to the mobility experience involving staff, respondents stated that they had experienced a clear benefit in terms of improving their skills, substantially increasing communication and interpersonal skills (90%), organisational and management skills (80%) and technical-professional skills (78%).
“It is important to remember that Erasmus+ is not just about mobility,” Fadda specified, “some of the funds allocated to Italy are committed to the financing of transnational cooperation partnership projects, aimed at having positive and lasting impacts on the participating organisations, on the political systems within which these actions take place, as well as on the organisations and people directly or indirectly involved in the activities, through the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices at organisational, local, regional, national or European level.”
With respect to the partnerships for cooperation in the education and vocational training sector funded by Italy, 43 % of the projects concern digital transformation, 31 % inclusion and diversity, 25 % environment and climate change and 10% promoting democratic participation.
For more information:
Giancarlo Salemi – INAPP President Spokesperson (347 6312823)
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