Erasmus+ offers exciting opportunities for participants to study, work, volunteer, teach and train abroad in Europe. ColegauCymru leads on development opportunities for learners and staff through Erasmus+ funding.
ColegauCymru represents the colleges on the Erasmus+ Country Advisory Group and the Sector Consultative Group. The UK National Agency for Erasmus+ coordinates the twice-yearly meetings.
Wales' colleges recognise that good practice and new ideas exist elsewhere and continue to explore different approaches and ideas as well as establishing new partnerships with their counterparts in Europe.
ColegauCymru submits consortia bids for Erasmus+ funding so that FE lecturers, leaders and support staff from across Wales can take part in CPD opportunities overseas. On these visits, ColegauCymru gathers evidence, ideas and good practice from abroad to support strategic-level improvements to Wales’ vocational education and training structures.
Since 2014, representatives from ColegauCymru, FE colleges, Estyn and Welsh Government have taken part in ColegauCymru’s Erasmus+ CPD visits abroad and explored the following themes/priorities:
- 2014 - Improving literacy and numeracy and breaking the link between poverty and educational attainment (Helsinki, Finland)
- 2015 - Innovation in VET and supporting SMEs (Basque Country, Spain)
- 2016 - Multilingualism and working more closely with employers by developing skills that respond to the needs of the workplace (Catalonia, Spain)
- 2017 - Higher level skills in an FE setting (Sonderborg, Denmark)
- 2018 - Internationalisation in VET (Helsinki, Finland)
Further Information
Sian Holleran
Project Manager - European and International
Sian.Holleran@ColegauCymru.ac.uk