The European Commission (EC) has revealed that education and youth organisations in the UK will receive €187 million of funding through the Erasmus+ initiative during 2019 – rising from €170 million this year.
As The PIE News reports, the Erasmus+ program provides opportunities for young people and allows teachers, academics, education staff and youth workers to undergo training and teach in other countries.
Total available funds for Erasmus+ are predicted to jump by €300 million, or 10%, compared to 2018.
Along with its calls for proposals, the EC has released an Erasmus+ program guide in all official EU languages, which includes details of available opportunities for applicants in Erasmus+.
Commenting on the funding increase, Jane Racz, Erasmus+ UK National Agency director, said: “Erasmus+ will enable around 250,000 young people from the UK to explore new countries and cultures, develop new skills and boost their employability.”
Racz strongly encourages companies to apply, so that more young people can benefit from international experiences.
She added that the funding will also help firms to form partnerships across Europe and beyond, as well as to “internationalise education, training and youth work and address common issues such as youth unemployment and social integration.”
The EC also unveiled that €30 million from an estimated budget of €3 billion will be allocated to dedicated European Universities. The goal is to build around 20 European Universities by 2024.
This forms a new, EU-endorsed initiative and is part of the drive to creating a European Education Area by 2025.
Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, said in a statement that the EC is striving to create a Europe where studying, learning and conducting research are not restricted by borders.
He added: “No walls hampering excellence, innovation and inclusiveness in education, European Universities have a real potential to transform the higher education landscape in Europe, and I am proud that we are giving them a strong push through the Erasmus+ program.”