Connecting Europe through Blended Mobilities under the Erasmus+ programme

The Connecting Europe partners had identified a lack of understanding of the challenges faced by intermediary organisations and VET providers in hosting VET students. Initially, each partner had u...

Our main aim was to understand the realities faced by VET providers and intermediary organizations in international mobilities. By sharing good practices, common obstacles, and creating unified systems for hosting and sending students, we aimed to make collaboration smoother and more transparent. We wanted to develop and implement deliverables that would not only increase the quality of mobilities but also ensure safer and more fulfilling student experiences. We also aimed to give hosting partners a bigger role in student preparation, providing firsthand information and enabling direct communication between students and hosts. This approach would help students set realistic expectations and reduce cultural shocks experienced in previous mobilities. We also wanted to improve the ability to recognize how mobilities support the formal and non-formal skills development of students. We wanted to create a simple online tool, a skills matrix, for participants to use before and after mobilities, making results visible to students and those they choose to share with.

During Connecting Europe’s lifespan, we held 6 transnational meetings, with partners participating in person or online, to develop project results. There was also 1 bilateral meeting between Axxell and p-consulting to draft online results, 1 LTTA, and online meetings for project administration. Partners organized several national multiplier events and 1 transnational multiplier event in Italy to share and promote project results. We participated in national and transnational conferences to disseminate the project and collect feedback. Our transnational meetings focused on developing deliverables like escape rooms, tips, risk assessment templates, and skills matrixes. These meetings aimed to strengthen collaboration between VET providers and intermediary organizations and create tools for broader use in mobilities. The LTTA was a learning experience where VET providers and their networks brought four students each to test and give feedback on the tools and their usability, strengths, and weaknesses. The LTTA led, through a recommendation from the students to the development of a risk assessment template for preparing students for potential risks during mobility.

The tangible results of Connecting Europe are: 1) A project webpage providing insight into the project's aims, objectives, target groups, the partners and a way to get in contact with the partners of Connecting Europe. The website also contains the results/tools that were developed within the project. 2) The Escape Rooms, which are a fun way to prepare for travelling on an Erasmus+ mobility. It provides information about the partner countries in a gamification format, with the idea that the Escape Rooms can be implemented in the preparation courses held by the sending partners. 3) Tips for a) preparing students for Erasmus+ mobilities, b) how to improve communication between hosting and sending partners, c) communication rules when doing work placements abroad, and d) how to decrease cultural shocks when going on a mobility abroad. 4) Risk assessment templates with information that provides answers to potential safety issues and risks that students might face in the area/country where they will be doing their placement. 5) Skills matrixes are a self-evaluation tool that helps students and those they choose to share their results with to analyse how the mobility has supported their development of formal and non-formal skills. The intangible benefits include the establishment of a Connecting Europe consortium that will continue to function and collaborate even after the project has ended. We have recognised the value of collaborative work when developing tools and methodologies, and this is something we aim to continue with. We have also recognised that despite our organisational differences (VET providers are non-profit entities, while intermediaries are required to generate profit), we share a common goal. This common goal is to ensure that students receive high-quality learning experiences without encountering significant obstacles. We also want to make our work as smooth and time efficient as possible and collaborating within the Connecting Europe consortium is one way of reaching these goals