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Mobility of higher education students and staff supported by internal policy funds (KA131-HED) - Coordinator: Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers des Pays-de-la-Loire

2023-1-FR01-KA131-HED-0001157292023Mobility of higher education students and stafffinalized
Countries: FR|CN|FI|HU|IE|NL|PE|PL|SG|SE · Grant: €33,397

Objectives

As part of our commitment to the internationalisation of higher education and to inclusion, our Erasmus+ project aimed to achieve several strategic objectives that align closely with the programme’s priorities. First and foremost, we aimed to provide a safe and structured framework for international mobility for our students in higher education apprenticeships. Mobility is a key driver for fostering open-mindedness, adaptability, and the development of intercultural competencies, all of which are increasingly valuable in a globalised job market. Our goal was to give these young people the opportunity to undertake a formative experience abroad, while taking into account the specificities of their status as apprentices and the constraints it entails. Erasmus+ enabled us to offer them suitable, secure conditions to go abroad, fully aligned with the requirements of their work-study training. This project also forms part of a broader effort to strengthen the internationalisation of Cnam Pays de la Loire. In addition to compulsory mobility already included in some academic pathways, we wanted to open up voluntary mobility options, diversifying the opportunities for students to go abroad. This voluntary approach helps build a truly international environment within our institution, encouraging exchanges, stimulating cooperation with European partners, and enhancing learners' global competencies. In line with the values upheld by both Cnam and the Erasmus+ programme, we made it a priority to ensure equal access to international mobility, with a focus on our apprentice students, regardless of their financial means. We firmly believe that international experiences should not be a privilege for the few, but an opportunity accessible to all, regardless of background or financial situation. To this end, we implemented specific support measures to remove economic, psychological, and administrative barriers to mobility. In a gradual step-by-step approach to internationalisation, this dynamic does not stop with students. We also launched awareness-raising actions for teaching staff, trainers, and programme managers to embed international mobility into their practices. This process is then extended to the wider academic community through internal communications, promotion of mobility experiences, and inclusion of these actions in our institutional reports. These efforts also help strengthen our dialogue with external partners, both institutional and financial, by demonstrating our commitment to inclusion and European openness. This approach reaffirms our strong dedication to the values of equal opportunity, inclusion, and European citizenship, which lie at the heart of Erasmus+ and of Cnam’s identity. We also framed our project within a broader vision of European citizenship, by taking part in the MONA programme (My Apprenticeship in Europe). This initiative seeks to build a European area for apprenticeships, by promoting transnational mobility for young people in work-study programmes. Through MONA, we aimed to help our apprentices develop a sense of belonging to Europe by placing them at the heart of a collective European project and enabling them to experience this dimension in real terms. Lastly, a key objective of the project was to enhance the employability of our apprentices. International mobility enables them not only to strengthen their language skills but also to develop highly sought-after soft skills such as autonomy, adaptability, intercultural communication, and teamwork in a multicultural context. These experiences enrich their professional profiles and increase their chances of successful career integration, both in France and abroad. In summary, through this Erasmus+ project, our goals were to provide a high-quality, safe, and inclusive international experience for our apprentices, contribute to the internationalisation of our institution, promote equal opportunity in access to mobility, foster the values of European citizenship and inclusion, and ultimately, enhance the employability and personal development of our learners.

Project partners (1)