Lifelong Learning Programmewithin the European Union

AIM 2008

Janerik Lundquist

EHEA Pillar Stones

Transparency

Mutual trust

Make diversities visible

Lifelong Learning Programme

The European Commission has integrated its various educational and training initia-tives under a single umbrella, the

Lifelong Learning Programme with a budget of nearly €7 billion for 2007

to 2013. The new programme replaces previous education, vocational training and e-Learning programmes, which ended in 2006.

Lifelong Learning Programme

The programme enables individuals at all stages of their lives to pursue stimulating learning opportunities across Europe.

There are four sub-programmes focusing on different stages of education and training and continuing previous programmes:

Comenius for schools Erasmus for higher education Grundtvig for adult education Leonardo da Vinci for vocationaleducation and training

Lifelong Learning Sub-Programmes

ERASMUS

Erasmus is the EU's flagship education and training programme, enabling 200 000 thousand students to study and work abroad each year, as well as supporting co-operation actions between higher education institutions across Europe. It caters not only for students, but also for profes-sors who want to teach abroad and for university staff who want to be trained abroad. In addition to mobility actions, the Programme supports higher education institutions to work together through intensive programmes, networks and multilateral projects.

ERASMUS

The Programme seeks to expand its mobility actions even further in coming years, with the target of 3 million Erasmus students by 2012.

ERASMUS

For students:

• studying abroad

• working abroad (placements)

• linguistic preparation

For university staff:

• teaching abroad

• receiving training abroad

ERASMUS

• For universities/ higher education institutes:• intensive programmes • academic and structural networks • multilateral projects •

For enterprises:• student placements • teaching abroad • university cooperation

Transversal Programme

• In order to ensure that the four sub-programmes of the Lifelong Learning Programme reach the best results, a transversal programme with four key activities complements them.

• Policy co-operation - Innovating and sharing good policy practices

• Languages - Breaking the language barriers  • Information and communication technologies -

Innovative learning  • Dissemination and exploitation of project results -

Spreading and implementing the results

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

Effective integration of ICT into education must go beyond simply replacing, streamlining or accelerating current practices. It must also find new and more effective ways of operating, supporting pedagogical and organisational innovation. ICT has become embedded in our social and economic fabric and it should be similarly embedded in education and training systems.

External Relations Programmes

• Tempus

• Erasmus Mundus

• Co-operation with Industrial Countries

Tempus: Modernising higher education

Tempus (The Trans-European Mobility Scheme for University Studies) supports the modernisation of higher education and creates an area of co-operation in countries surrounding the EU. Established in 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the scheme now covers 27 countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

Tempus: Modernising higher education

Tempus finances two types of actions:• Joint Projects are based on multilateral partnerships

between higher education institutions in the EU and the partner countries. They can develop, modernise and disseminate new curricula, teaching methods or materials, boost a quality assurance culture, and modernise the management and governance of higher education institutions.

• Structural Measures contribute to the development and reform of higher education institutions and systems in partner countries, to enhance their quality and relevance, and increase their convergence with EU developments.

Erasmus Mundus

• Erasmus Mundus is a co-operation and mobility programme in the field of higher education which promotes the European Union as a worldwide centre of excellence in learning.

• The programme supports European top-quality Master’s courses and enhances the visibility and attractiveness of European higher education in third countries. It also provides EU-funded scholarships for third-country nationals participa-ting in these Master’s courses, as well as for EU-nationals studying at partner universities around the world.

Erasmus Mundus – External Cooperation Window

The Erasmus Mundus External Co-operation Window (EM ECW) objective is to achieve better understanding and mutual enrichment between the European Union and third countries co-operation in the field of higher education through promoting the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills at higher education level. This will be achieved through the promotion of partnerships and institutional co-operation exchanges between European Higher Education Institutions and Third Country institu-tions and a mobility scheme addressing student and academic exchanges.

Co-operation with industrialised countries – a win-win situation

Co-operation with industrialised countries enhances the quality of higher education and vocational training, as well as promo-ting intercultural understanding. The EU has set up joint study programmes with other industrialised countries, to provide financial support for student mobility.

Co-operation with industrialised countries – a win-win situation

In 1995, the Commission made first formal agreements with the U.S. and Canada on balanced co-operation in higher education and vocational training, which were renewed in 2006 to provide a legal framework until 2013. Compared to previous agreements, funds have been considerably increased to consolidate and expand trans-atlantic education co-operation.

In addition, several initiatives operate with other industrialised countries, notably Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Co-operation with industrialised countries – a win-win situation

The main activities are:

• Joint/ double degree projects

• Joint mobility projects

• Policy oriented dialogue and projects