Euro App Mobility partner of Training and Cooperation Activities (TCA)

As part of the European Year of Skills, the Erasmus+ France Agency brought together European vocational training centers for the first time. Over 140 professionals from 27 countries gathered in Bordeaux from November 13 to 15, 2023, at the invitation of the Erasmus+ France Agency. Euro App Mobility co-facilitated this conference, opening a new gateway to the European learning space.

Since 1995, the mobility of apprentices in Europe has been a priority in the Erasmus program. However, there is still a long way to go for young people in vocational training to fully benefit from it. The Erasmus+ European meetings aimed to open new paths through the sharing of experiences.

Actualités

November 2023

3️⃣ days to align the “plus” of Erasmus➕ with social openness, learning, and inclusion.

At the invitation of the director of the Erasmus+ France / Education Formation Agency, Nelly Fesseau, numerous stakeholders from across Europe gathered for a three-day international dialogue in Bordeaux. As a partner in these European Meetings for Apprenticeship Mobility, Euro App Mobility played a significant role in advancing the idea of a European apprenticeship space.

Following opening remarks by French Minister for Vocational Education and Training Carole Grandjean and Member of the European Parliament Sandro Gozi, Jean Arthuis emphasized that apprentice mobility encompasses economic competitiveness, skill enhancement, cultural openness, and the strengthening of European citizenship. This sentiment was reaffirmed by Gerard Bobier, representing CMA France, who shared his experience as an employer, noting the remarkable benefits that even small businesses gain from supporting international projects for their employees, including the capacity to enrich themselves with new talents.

Alongside Susanne Klimmer (IFA – Austria), EAM’s executive officer, Paola Bolognini, provided an overview of the stakeholders involved in apprentice mobility in Europe, including training organizations, companies, trainers/teachers, mentors, etc. Advocating for the formation of a professional community at the European level, they highlighted two initiatives focused on key actors: mobility officers in Apprenticeship Training Centers in France and company mentors in Austria. Taking the floor, Melanie Gauthy, project leader of MOBLT, emphasized the importance of professionalizing these actors and equipping them with the necessary tools for a mission with diverse implications.

➡ conference continued with six thematic workshops:

👉 1: How to find partners?

👉 2: Long-term mobility;

👉 3: Hybrid mobilities / distance learning activities;

👉 4: Involvement of companies in the mobility of (their) apprentices;

👉 5: Best practices for preparing apprentices for distance learning mobility;

👉 6: Internationalization of apprenticeship training organizations: beyond mobility.

Facilitators of the first workshop, Mélina Sié, Mélanie Gauthy, and Guillaume Baudet presented the Moving Skills matching platform. This digital tool, conceived by Euro App Mobility, connects apprentices and companies through training centers, acting as system regulators.

Marine Briou-Rolle drew on her experience as the project leader for Mona to outline the ins and outs of long-term mobility in Europe. Listing the obstacles identified since the pilot project “Euro App” in 2016, along with Vanessa Duval, she encouraged participants to embrace solutions experimented with in several countries, notably in France, and adapt them to their own national or sectoral contexts. Starting from the benefits expected in terms of employability and personal development for young people, Euro App Mobility places the deployment of mobility on the internal organization of training centers tasked with developing the role of mobility officer.

Luc Vernet, EAM.EU’s executive officer, expressed a desire to promote this French experiment, stemming from the law of September 5, 2018, “for the freedom to choose one’s professional future,” to create a European network of mobility activators. His counterpart in Paris, Paola Bolognini, indicated that the ESF+ could be mobilized to finance the development of human resources dedicated to apprentice mobility in organizations.

At the end of these three fruitful networking days, the objective of fostering collaboration among stakeholders to advance apprentice mobility through grassroots efforts and the exchange of best practices was fully achieved. Through the voice of its president, Jean Arthuis, Euro App Mobility expresses gratitude to the Erasmus+ France Agency for taking this initiative and highlighting the collective work carried out by all association partners since 2020.