5 November 2019Brussels

BY MAEVA ROULETTE & LUCA PIROZZI

EU FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPRENTICESHIPS: Erasmus+ and European Social Fund (ESF)

Structure of the presentation:

1. Introduction to funding mechanisms (Luca Pirozzi)

2. Erasmus+ (Luca Pirozzi)1. KA1: Mobility and VET learners

2. KA2: Cooperation for innovation and good practice

3. Erasmus after 2020

3. ESF (Maëva Roulette)1. What is ESF?

2. Supporting education, training and employment

3. ESF after 2020

4. Practical tips

The EU cooperation framework in vocational education and training

VET reform on EU agenda

▪ National governments responsible for their own education and training systems

▪ However, similar challenges lead to cooperation

▪ European cooperation in VET is included in the Treaty of Rome (Art. 128). Today, the Treaty of Lisbon (art. 166) calls for the EU to implement “a vocational training policy”

CopenhagenDeclaration

BrugesCommunique

RigaConclusions

COM – is currently preparing proposals for a renewed framework for cooperation post 2020

EU VET policy coordination

The Erasmus+ programme and its opportunities

The structure of Erasmus+

▪ Mobility of learners and staff

▪ Erasmus Mundus Joint

▪ Master Degree Loans

Key Action 1Learning mobility

of users

Key Action 2Cooperation for innovation

and good practice

Key Action 3Support for

policy reform

▪ Strategic partnerships

▪ Knowledge alliances

▪ Sector skills alliances

▪ Online platforms

▪ Better knowledge

▪ Initiatives for policy innovation

▪ Development of European policy tools

▪ Cooperation with internal organisations

▪ Stakeholder dialogue

Learning outcomesRecognised and validated at an

institutional level

Mobility of VET learners

Around 140 000 VET learners go abroad every year

Key Action 1

VET learnersIncluding

apprenticesor recent vocational

graduates

Period abroadA work placement,with or without a

limited share of formal training in a

school/vocational centre

Host bodyCan be a company, VET centre or an

intermediary body

Quality frameworkPreviously agreed upon

by sending and receiving organisations, including a “Learning Agreement”

WITH ERASMUS+ VET MOBILITY CHARTER

▪ Organisation with a proven track record may use fast-track procedures

▪ Calls are published annually on national agencies' websites

▪ No qualitative assessment to get funding. Any eligible application will get funding

Organisations (VET providers or coordinators of a national mobility consortium) may apply to Erasmus+ national agencies for VET mobility projects in 2 ways:

WITHOUT CHARTER

▪ Qualitative assessment: award criteria (relevance, quality of design and implementation, impact and dissemination)

▪ Competitive exercise: not all eligible applications will get funding

How to apply Key Action 1

Benefits of learner mobility

Key Action 1

▪ Promote a sense of European citizenship

▪ Develop foreign language and professional skills

▪ Acquire new job-specificcompetences

▪ Develop general soft skills, improve self-confidence, inter-cultural awareness and communication

▪ Facilitate school-to-work transition

▪ European citizenship

▪ Free movement of citizens -learner and labour mobility

▪ Innovation

For societyFor learners

Key Action 1

For Learners For VET institutions

▪ Access to foreign skills and know-how

▪ Opportunity to influence VET curricula

▪ Involvement of SME as sending/receiving organisations

▪ Internationalisation of activities

▪ Internationalisation of institutions

▪ Teaching methods and learning materials

▪ Methods for transfer of knowledge and skills

▪ Recognition of learning outcomes (acquired abroad)

▪ Greater involvement with companies and VET institutes abroad

▪ Attractiveness of VET schools and qualifications

▪ VET professionals/teachers professional development

For companies

Benefits of learner mobility

ErasmusPRO

▪ Number of beneficiaries increased, but duration decreased

▪ Short mobility: intrinsic value, namely for very young learners

▪ Long duration mobility clear added value:

✓ Boosting individual skills, vocational skills, "soft" skills, linguistic competences, EU citizenship

✓ Also as a means to improve the overall performance of organisations (both VET providers and companies)

▪ Initiative to increase long-duration mobility opportunities (3 to 12 months) and further increase the quality and attractiveness of VET and apprenticeships

▪ Around 50 000 VET learners (including apprentices) will be able to benefit up until the end of the programme

Key Action 1

Key Action 2 Cooperation for innovation and good practice

Key Action 2

How to apply

Strategic partnerships supporting innovation

Strategic partnerships supporting exchange of good practice

Who can apply? Any public or private organisation established in a programme country

CompositionMinimum of 3 organisations from 3 programme countries +

partner countries if added value

Duration Between 24 and 36 months Between 12 and 36 months

BudgetA variable amount, defined by multiplying EUR 12 500 by the duration of the project (in

months) and up to EUR 450 000 for projects with a duration of 36 months

Where to apply? The national agency of the country in which the applicant organisation is established

Award criteriaRelevance; Quality of project design and implementation; Quality of the project team and cooperation arrangements; Impact and dissemination

Mobility opportunities

If mobility can support the project objectives, as an element of a coherent and integrated package of activitiese.g. test innovative teaching approaches/course packages; experiment new forms of mobility (blended)

Key Action 2

KEY TIPSWhat makes a good Strategic partnership application?

Relevance in contributing to policy objectives

Evidence-based (solid needs analysis, drawing on existing knowledge, know-how and practice)

Innovative in terms of outputs and/or working methods

A consortium involving partners with the appropriate profile, experience and competences, together with strong commitment

A package of appropriate and coherent activities

Potential impact inside/outside the project

Effective dissemination plan (and exploitation of results)

Erasmus after 2020

What does the future hold for Erasmus?

Enriching lives & opening mindsThrough EU-funded learning opportunities abroad, partnerships & support to reform

2014 - 2020 2021 - 2027

Opportunities abroad for over 4 MILLION people

Opportunities abroad for over 12 MILLION people

14.7 30billion EUR billion EUR

Investing in people, social cohesion& valuesERASMUS 2021 – 2027

▪ More inclusive and accessible

▪ Promoting European identity and fostering active participation in society

▪ More international

▪ Further simplification

▪ Strengthening synergies with other programmes

Investing in people, social cohesion & valuesERASMUS 2021 – 2027

Key novelties of interest to VET

▪ Increasing the key targets: triple the number of VET learners/staff that will be given the opportunity to go abroad: from 650 000 to around 2 million people

▪ Opening the international dimension to VET mobility of learners and staff

▪ Introducing small-scale partnerships to strengthen the participation of small organisations by introducing simplified access procedures

▪ Supporting the set-up of “Centres of Vocational Excellence“

Investing in people, social cohesion & valuesERASMUS 2021 – 2027

Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs)

▪ Transnational platforms, integrated in local/regional strategies for innovation

▪ Part of knowledge triangles (VET providers, scientific communities and businesses)

▪ Either in specific sectors (aeronautics, healthcare, green technologies, etc.) or innovative approaches to face societal challenges (integration of migrants, Sustainable Development Goals, upskilling people with low qualifications)

▪ Ultimate goal of “upward convergence" of VET excellence

Business

VET Providers

Scientific Community

First step towards the establishment of CoVEs

New call published on 15/10/19 (deadline 20/02/20) with an indicative budget of EUR 20 million to provide support for pilot transnational CoVEs

▪ Involving a minimum of 4 programme countries + at least 8 full partners, each country having at least 1 company, industry or sector representative and at least 1 VET provider

▪ Any public/private organisation from programme countries can also be a full partner (e.g. national/regional qualification authorities, research institutes, innovation agencies or regional development authorities)

▪ Organisations from partner countries can be associated partners

▪ In 2019, 5 pilot projects (out of 18 applications) running for 2 years were supported

Key Action 3

Question

What do you expect for the next Erasmus+?

The European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020

What is the ESF?

The EU’s key instrument for investing in people and systems:

The ESF is an expression of European solidarity

To improve employment opportunities

To promote education and life-long learning

To enhance social inclusion and combat poverty

To improve efficiency of public administration

The ESF as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds

The ESF is one of the 5 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).

The others include:

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Cohesion Fund (CF)

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

(EAFRD)

European Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

European Social Fund (ESF)

Youth Employment Initiative (YEI)

199 bn

100 bn

84 bn

63 bn

9 bn 6 bn

Total sum ofEUR 461 billion

Shared management

programming

agreeing on priorities setting gets efining actions year cycle

co financing

EU are

European Commission Member States

Monitoring implementation

Reimbursing expenditure

Accountable for the budget

Delivery of planned actions

Selection of concrete projects

Payments to project organisers

Agreeing on priorities, setting budgets, defining actions (7-year cycle)

EU share50% > 95%

Objective 1: ESF support to education and training incl. apprenticeships

Life-cycle approach: from early-childhood education to adult learning

EUR 8 bn

EUR 5 bn

EUR 7 bn

EUR 7 bn

Early sc ool leaving

ig er e cation

Life long learning

ocational e cationan training

Total of EUR 27 billion

Slovakia: Introduction of dual vocational education andtraining (VET) scheme in 2015 as part of a global reformof the VET system aiming to make VET more relevant tothe labour-market.

▪ Supported and tested by an ESF-funded project called “D alEducation and increasing quality and popularity of ET”

▪ End date: November 2020

▪ Budget: EUR 33.6 million

▪ Expected results: put 12 000 students from 280 VET schools intodual education allowing them to carry out the practical part of theirtraining directly at the work-place (1 450 employers involved)

Examples of ESF-supported projects

Greece: ESF support for the “apprenticeship class”

A law established an “apprenticeship class” as an optional fourthyear of study for vocational senior high school (EPAL) graduates. Thisapprenticeship class became a reality in Greece in 2017 with thesupport of the ESF.

▪ Budget: EUR 40 million

▪ Results: The ESF has supported almost 8 000 EPAL graduates thatwere NEETs up to 24 years old

▪ The apprenticeship class lasts 9 months and consists of 7 hours atschool and 4 days per week (28 hrs) at companies from the publicand private sector. Participation leads to a level 5 EQF qualification(after completing a specific accreditation procedure). Theremuneration of the trainee amounts to 75% of the daily minimumwage (EUR 17.12) and has the same benefits as the working force(i.e. full coverage of social security)

Examples of ESF-supported projects

Objective 2: The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and apprenticeships

To fight youth unemployment and to

support the implementation of the

Youth Guarantee

It addresses young people not in employment,

education or training (NEETs)

Almost EUR 9 billion

Bulgaria: Reducing youth unemployment rates through newopportunities

Established in 2015, the ‘New Opportunity for Youth Employment’project is helping to increase the competitiveness of unemployedyoung Bulgarians in the job market, improve their level of socialinclusion and facilitate a smoother and faster school-to-worktransition.

The project, which is part of the EU’s Youth Employment Initiative,helps unemployed young people aged 15-29 to undertake a tailoredapprenticeship or on-the-job training with an employer in a field oftheir choice. So far, more than 11 000 young Bulgarians havebenefited from the project.

Example YEI-supported project

Post 2020: The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+)

What does the future hold for ESF?

ESF+: 5 Funds merged into 1

ESF

YEI

FEAD

EaSI

Health

What makes ESF+

ESF: Employment, Social inclusion & Educationand Training

YEI: Youth Employment Initiative

FEAD: Fund for European Aid to the mostDeprived

EaSI: European programme for Employmentand Social Innovation

Health: Health programme

EUR 101.2 billionAbout 27% of cohesion policy budget

ESF+ specific objectives in the area of education and training

▪ Quality, effectiveness and labour market relevance of E&T systems

▪ Equal access to inclusive education and training

▪ Life-long learning

Strong focus on digital skills to prepare the workforce for digital transformation.

Post 2020: Enabling conditions

▪ Strategic policy framework for active labour market policies

▪ 5 - ‘For youth employment interventions, evidence-based and targeted pathways towardsyoung people not in employment, education or training including outreach measures and basedon quality requirements taking into accountcriteria for quality apprenticeships and traineeships, including in the context of youthguarantee schemes implementation’

▪ Strategic policy framework for education and training at all levels

▪ 3 – ‘Coor ination mechanism across all levels of education and training, including tertiary education, and clear assignment of responsibilities between the relevant national an /or regional o ies’

Pre-requisites for funding:

Practical tips - How to apply

Member StateNumber of

ESF/YEI OPs2014-2020

Member StateNumber of

ESF/YEI OPs2014-2020

Spain 23 Germany 17

Malta 1 Austria 1

Romania 2 Slovenia 1

Bulgaria 3 Croatia 1

Cyprus 1 Italy 29

Greece 17 Denmark 1

Finland 2 Sweden 2

Latvia 1 Poland 17

Lithuania 1 Czech Republic 3

Estonia 1 Slovakia 2

France 33 Hungary 5

Belgium 4 United Kingdom 6

Netherlands 1 Ireland 1

Luxembourg 1 Portugal 10

▪ Managing Authorities (MA) launch calls throughout the programming period (2014-2020) & select projects

▪ Contact MA:https://ec.europa.eu/esf/main.jsp?catId=45&langId=en

Practical tips - ESF support in Member States

Implementation by Member States for European Social Fund – total cost of selection and spendingas a % of planned (bullet chart, excluding multi-thematic allocations)

Practical tips - How to prepare for post 2020

Get involved!

Negotiations for 2021-2027 are starting now

Partners to be consulted (partnership principle)

European semester: country reports, country-specific recommendations and

annexes as guiding principles

Question

What steps will you take after today’s webinar?

More information

• https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about_en/

• https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/opportunities/vet-learners-and-staff_en

• https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/programme-guide_en

Erasmus+

ESF

• https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/

• https://ec.europa.eu/esf/home.jsp

Questions?

Thank-you for your attention & watch out for the upcoming webinars!