We are now drawing closer to the end of the seven year programming period 2007-2013 and everyone is eager to see what the European Union’s priorities will be for the next seven years, 2014-2020. Although the final decisions are still to be taken, we can say that the significant discussions which have taken place have given us a good picture of what the next programming period will consist of.

One innovative funding programme the European Commission (EC) has proposed is the Erasmus for All programme which groups together all the current funding programmes for education, training, youth and sport into one integrated programme. The Commission strongly believes that, amongst other commitments, investing in education and training will be the key to decrease unemployment rates in the EU, in particular youth unemployment which stood at 23.6% in January of this year.

The existing Erasmus programme is considered as one of the most successful exchange programmes in Europe with more than 230,000 student mobilities each year. Although the concept of this new programme varies widely, the EC has agreed to adopt the same name, making it easier to attract participants due to the popularity it gained in the last years. A total of €19 billion will be dedicated to Erasmus for All, which would be giving the possibility to around 5 million individuals to take part in mobility initiatives in the next seven years.

The main scope of this proposed programme is to improve knowledge and skills in order to enhance employability on a European level. It provides an opportunity to millions of Europeans coming from different sectors interested in engaging in different forms of education and training to gain understanding and develop personally and professionally in order to contribute to the development of the European society as a whole. 

The Youth in Action Programme, the Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries are the seven existing programmes which will be joined together as Erasmus for All. The idea to combine these programmes has been developed in order to simplify procedures and therefore increasing the rate of interested applicants.  

Just like the existing programmes, the Erasmus for All will be managed by the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA) which is responsible of supporting individuals with funding under various educational programmes provided by the EC.

While the target beneficiaries of the programme will still be youths and individuals interested in mobility exchanges and vocational training, the main focus will be on teachers, trainers, information officers and youth workers, due to the important role they play in education. Existing priorities are still eligible under this new programme, however students, teachers and trainers participating in both formal and non-formal learning activities will be encouraged to apply for projects to take place within and beyond EU borders. 

Erasmus for All is created to support three main types of actions, namely learning mobilities, institutional cooperation and projects supporting policy reform. Eligible projects and exchanges can vary widely with the aim of contributing to the enhancement of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship between organisations, businesses, local and regional authorities and NGOs.

Two innovative aspects have been introduced to add value to what has already been taking place in the existing programmes. These are the loan guarantee scheme which aims at  assisting master degree students to finance their studies which will be available to about 34,000 students, and the creation of around 20,000 new partnerships in knowledge alliances and sector skills alliances which are partnerships between higher education institutions, education and training providers and businesses to promote employability, creativity and entrepreneurships.

With the current estimations stating that by 2020 nearly 35% of the jobs will require high skills and flexibility to adapt to the changing trends, the Erasmus for All is clearly the right programme to tap into to enhance skills which will be useful for the future’s job market. If such programmes turn out to be a success, the EU would be moving a step forward in the right direction, increasing in this way the possibility to achieve the EU targets set by 2020.  

A number of local organisations have had the possibility to benefit from the existing funds mentioned above. Between 25th May and 2nd of June, the EC celebrated the sixth edition of the European Youth Week to highlight the hopes and aspirations of European youth. As part of the celebrations, Member States nominated national Youth in Action projects to compete in an Award Ceremony that took place on 31st May in Brussels.

Nominated by EUPA, Maltese NGO Din l-Art Helwa represented Malta through its hands- on restoration project carried out together with a French organisation Rempart. This project gave the opportunity to Maltese and French young participants to work on the restoration of the 15th century Madonna tal-Hniena chapel in Qrendi.

MEUSAC provides support to NGOs and Local Councils to apply for EU funding opportunities. Interested parties wishing to apply are encouraged to contact MEUSAC on [email protected] or on 200 3300 for more details.