A new round of funding has been approved at EU level for the Erasmus study abroad programme.
Erasmus+ is the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. Due to begin next January, it has been approved by the European Parliament and will benefit up to 50,000 Irish students between now and 2020.
The Erasmus programme began in 1987 and currently operates in 34 countries. It is the perfect example of a European success story: it is the most successful student exchange programme in the world.
It offers students the opportunity to seek placements in enterprises; equips university staff with teaching and training; and it funds co-operation projects between higher education institutions across Europe.
More than 230,000 students take part in the programme each year and almost three million students have participated in the programme since its inception.
Some two million European students will receive support to study abroad from Erasmus+ thanks to the recent investment of over €14 billion made by the European Parliament.
Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth has welcomed the new and improved programme. She said “I am pleased that the European Parliament has adopted Erasmus+ and proud that we have been able to secure a 40 per cent budget increase compared with our current programmes. This demonstrates the EU’s commitment to education and training.”
Elaine Carroll
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