The Framework for Erasmus+ Staff Competencies (FESC) aims at developing a quality framework for staff at Higher Education Institutions working in the field of international mobility programmes, and the translation of existing research into practice. Needs and Objectives Staff members in HEIs play a pivotal role in the implementation of mobility programmes and the overall internationalization strategies of the institutions on various levels. However, as the demands posed tn the administration of mobility programmes are increasingly complex, the need for clearly structured, comprehensive guidelines as well as on-hand toolkits for training and peer-group learning is adamant. Accordingly, the project not only targets staff in International Relations Offices, but staff on decentral level, in faculties and Centres, as well as personnel in Service units, who often work in delivering the programme structures and services with no prior experience and training. Consortium The consortium consist of five European HEIs, representing different sizes and internal structures: University of Marburg/DE; Gent University/BE; University of Latvia/LV; University of Warsaw/PL; UAS Hanze/NL, and one European University Network, EUF/LUX. The key persons are not only IRO staff, but from service units and personnel departments as well as faculties, ensuring a broad approach of the project. By the inclusion of one HEI from a partner country as well as three Higher Education Networks as associate partners, the scope of the project and the potential impact are further strengthened. Throughout the project, the consortium will closely communicate via various channels, four Transnational Project Meetings will ensure a smooth project implementation and offer the opportunity for mid-term evaluations and in-depth discussions. Activities and Methodology Activities covered in FESC are: Intellectual Outputs, Trainings and Multiplier Events. The central activities of FESC are delivered in the context of the seven Intellectual Outputs, in which a number of methodologies are applied: on the basis of the desk research (O1) and the surveys of students and staff with questionnaires drafted on the results of this data analysis(O2), a framework on quality assurance for staff is drafted (O3) which will be evaluated and edited in the context of the following project activities. The development of a training toolkit (O6) will be the practical instrument in the testing and implementation of the quality framework. The main instrument here is the activity of O4, the Study Visits (C1-C5), involving all consortium partners, where trainings with staff members of the host institution will be accompanied by in-depth interviews with students and staff. As an over-arching result of the practical analysis and testing of tools in these activities, guidelines for Higher Education Institutions will be published (O5) as a basis for the structured communication and implementation of the contens and tools developed in the project. These results are the focus of the Multiplier Events that are part of the last phase of the project, i.e. implementation & policy. Participants In most of the activities, staff from different units of the consortium member institutions will participate: IROs, Personnel Departments, Career Services, Student Services, Faculties, etc. In addition, former or prospectively mobile students will be invited to participate in the interviews during the study visits to gain a users' perspective. The inclusion of participnts with Special Needs/Disadvantaged background is one priority as well, as the development of a quality framework for the support of mobility for individuals of these target groups is a central demand for a next programme generation. In the two multiplier events, a more heterogenous group of participants is targeted, from Higher Education institutions as well as stakeholders and policy makers, e.g. Rectors' Conferences, University Networks, National Agencies and European Institutions. Expected results and impact On the one hand, the project will offer practical tools and guidelines and thus improve the processes in delivering quality mobility in HEIs, supporting staff on all levels and reducing mobility barriers. On the other hand will the practical output of the activities feed directly into frameworks and policy recommendations to support the structuring of quality mobility programmes post-2020. All results are open-access items that will be made publicly available. Long-term benefits With the publication of the framework for Erasmus+ Staff Competencies, a central tool for quality assurance in mobility programmes in Higher Education, but possibly in other educational sectors as well, is made available. The results will remain available via the project publications. The policy recommendations that will be the final output of the project (O7) will feed directly in the discussions on the future of the European mobility programmes.
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