Bijlagen bij COM(2023)719 - Voorstel voor een AANBEVELING VAN DE RAAD “Europa in beweging” - mogelijkheden voor leermobiliteit voor iedereen

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dossier COM(2023)719 - Voorstel voor een AANBEVELING VAN DE RAAD “Europa in beweging” - mogelijkheden voor leermobiliteit voor iedereen.
document COM(2023)719 EN
datum 13 mei 2024
ANNEXES

to the

Proposal for a Council Recommendation

‘Europe on the Move’ – learning mobility opportunities for everyone 


{SWD(2023) 719 final} - {SWD(2023) 720 final}


ANNEX I

A policy framework for teacher mobility

The 2020 Commission Communication on achieving the European Education Area by 2025 1 states that the Commission ‘will work together with Member States and stakeholders on a policy framework for increasing the number and quality of learning mobility of teachers in Europe based on their actual mobility needs’.

The Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) includes specific actions to tackle the priority of teachers and trainers. This also involves exploring the possibility of developing a policy framework for teacher mobility.

The reason for this mandate is that there are specific challenges for teachers that are also analysed in the staff working document accompanying this proposal.

This framework outlines a set of actions to be implemented at school, local, regional and system level in order to address obstacles to the mobility of teachers identified in EU Member States. Its ambition is to serve as inspiration for stakeholders willing to develop their own strategies for teacher mobility in line with their respective systems. It complements and further expands on the actions specified in the Council conclusions on enhancing teachers and trainers’ mobility during initial and in-service education and training, and on valorising teacher mobility in schools and communities. The Council conclusions highlight the positive impact of learning mobility abroad on the professional development of teachers as well as on education systems, while identifying obstacles to mobility. This Annex caters for the need to overcome such obstacles to make teacher mobility a standard path both in initial teacher education and during their continuous professional development.

The underlying idea is that the learning mobility of teachers should be an essential part of teachers’ initial education and professional development, it can increase the attractiveness of the profession and is a cornerstone in the further development of schools and education and training systems towards the European Education Area.

The Commission will help Member States, in particular through the exchange of best practices and peer learning, put in place the necessary arrangements and measures outlined in this document; it will build on the good practices developed under the Erasmus+ programme, such as the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies, which aim to offer support for teachers at the beginning of their career and strengthen their professional development.

Stakeholders at school, regional, local and system level can achieve the general objectives outlined above by:

1.Integrating mobility into the initial education and continuous professional development of teachers

(a)Initial education

–embedding inclusive and gender balanced mobility in initial teacher education as a highly recommended part of their curricula;

–recognising learning mobility as an integral part of initial teacher education, especially teaching assignments abroad as being equivalent to in-school training in a national education and training institution;

–earmarking time slots (‘mobility windows’) in the academic year of any initial teacher education so that student teachers can easily participate in mobility periods without affecting their studies;

–including in initial teacher education curricula modules dedicated to acquiring the skills needed to carry out learning mobility periods abroad (e.g. language skills, intercultural mediation, digital skills).

(b)Continuous professional development

–formally rewarding teachers who carry out a mobility period abroad and recognising the outcomes as a legitimate and valuable part of their professional activities;

–identifying and embedding mobility windows in the school year, when sending and hosting teachers and future teachers is appropriate and easy to implement, and replacement teachers are ensured where needed;

–concluding bilateral agreements at national or, where applicable, regional level to provide solutions, in particular for the recognition and comparability of skills acquired (e.g. through a common quality framework and by making use of standardised skills terminology available at European level);

–supporting schools with appropriate resources and flexible procedures where teachers participating in mobility must be temporarily replaced.

2. improving cooperation at local level by developing and implementing a strategic approach towards teacher mobility:

(a)Embedding teacher mobility in the overall development of schools

–encouraging policymakers, school leaders, teacher educators and relevant stakeholders to set out how learning mobility, including the mobility of teachers –irrespective of their teaching expertise and gender – can be integrated into the strategy for the development of schools;

–defining objectives over short-, medium- and long-term periods for learning mobility to become part of the overall strategy for school development, including the sending and hosting of teachers (including teachers in training and other school staff) and cooperation projects with organisations abroad (including online cooperation);

–following a progressive strategy towards implementing these objectives, starting with the use of digital tools and platforms, bilateral cooperation and cooperation with cross-border regions;

–promoting cooperation between schools in the same area or region to facilitate replacements for teachers who are participating in learning mobility programmes;

–taking advantage of the local system of organisations involved in education and training to find partners abroad;

–establishing networks of participating institutions between Member States to develop a system for teacher mobility based on local, regional and national educational authorities’ registers, school consortia, the eTwinning community and other existing networks;

–strengthening the mobility of teachers by improving their language competences, increasing innovative methods for teaching and learning languages and bringing multilingualism into the classroom. 

(b)Allocating the necessary resources

–allocating dedicated staff (mobility coordinators) to prepare and implement mobility projects and activities, including mentoring mobile teachers, supporting hosting and sending institutions and dealing with logistics and administrative procedures such as accommodation, income taxation and social security at the most appropriate level (schools, local education and training authorities);

–pooling resources at the level of local education and training authorities to cope with the administrative workload entailed in preparing and managing mobility projects, in particular to enable schools with the least means to participate in learning mobility activities;

–improving the capacity of education and training institutions to host and benefit from the mobility activities of both practising and prospective teachers and trainers, taking full advantage of cooperation with Erasmus+ Teacher Academies;

–recognising and rewarding the work of staff who make mobility opportunities possible on the ground;

–supporting schools active in mobility projects by providing them with additional resources;

–fostering synergies with other local, national and EU funds, particularly the European Social Fund Plus and the European Regional Development Fund, in addition to Erasmus+.

3. Promoting the benefits of learning mobility and supporting it with the necessary training

–raising awareness among decision makers at all levels of the education system (in particular school leaders and other managers at local and regional levels) about the benefits of cross-border learning mobility for education staff and their impact on the development of organisations, including helping pupils learn foreign language skills;

–providing training to school leaders (including through job shadowing abroad) on school development supported by learning mobility abroad;

–creating incentives and valuing the work of school leaders who involve their schools and staff in mobility projects;

–valuing and promoting the positive effects of such experiences for teachers, pupils and the development of schools and school education at local, regional and national level.

ANNEX II

A policy framework for apprentice mobility

Apprenticeships 2 have been a central feature of European vocational education and training policies since 2010, starting with the Bruges Communiqué and reiterated in 2020 with the Osnabrück Declaration and the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training. Specific policy priorities have since evolved and now include making cross-border mobility for learning purposes a reality for apprentices as well. Apprentice mobility brings clear benefits to young people in terms of training and employability, to companies as the skills of their workforce are broadened, and to society as a whole. Skills and competences that cross-border mobility can offer (e.g. intercultural skills, organisational skills, language and other transferable skills, or specific skills in a technical area not available in the sending company/institution) cannot be learnt at home. Yet due to a set of specific barriers, such as the complexity of the legal obligations related to the administrative status of apprentices, their young age, different national apprenticeship schemes and curricula, and the risk of productivity loss faced by employers, apprentices have limited access to learning mobility experiences. This Annex proposes putting a strategic framework in place at national level to facilitate the mobility of apprentices at system, individual and company level. It builds on the provisions of the Council Recommendation on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships.

Member States are recommended to put in place a framework to support the mobility of apprentices in vocational education and training (VET) based on the following principles:

1. System level requirements for facilitating apprentice mobility

(a)Including the mobility of apprentices as part of a national internationalisation strategy for education and training and sectoral (economic) strategies – this can include an incremental approach that builds on short-duration mobility, mobility in cross-border regions or selected sectors or promotes short-duration collective or rotation mobility schemes;

(b)Fostering internationalisation by building on the know-how of the Centres of Vocational Excellence that connect reference VET providers across Member States, encourage cooperation, including with a broad range of stakeholders, and strive to develop high-quality curricula and qualifications focused on sectoral skills needs and societal challenges. Centres of Vocational Excellence work on a set of activities, which includes integrating the mobility of learners into curricula as well as improving the quality and opportunities of learners’ mobility abroad. They act as drivers of excellence and innovation and promote a proactive role for VET in local and regional economic development;

(c)Allocating dedicated staff (ambassadors, focal points, mobility coordinators) at local and national levels to raise awareness of and facilitate the mobility of apprentices as regards the various national and regional schemes and provide support for preparing and implementing mobility projects and activities, including mentoring apprentices, supporting hosting and sending institutions and dealing with logistics and administrative procedures;

(d)Promoting a system for apprenticeship mobility by establishing among other things new networks or strengthening existing ones between employers, VET providers, public employment services and social partners, taking advantage of existing initiatives like the European Alliance for Apprenticeships;

(e)Having curricular arrangements to facilitate the mobility of apprentices without endangering the completion of their studies and recognise the learning outcomes acquired abroad (for example by including a dedicated mobility module in the curricula or introducing distance learning where needed and where possible);

(f)Ensuring easy access to information on legal and administrative requirements for apprenticeship mobility related to compensation and the legal status of mobile apprentices;

(g)Reducing the administrative burden in the application process and speeding up the visa and residence permit procedures for incoming third-country national apprentices, where applicable and in line with Directive 2016/801;

(h)Encouraging bilateral agreements on apprentice mobility with other Member States and third countries (or regions, if applicable) to remove any persisting barriers and for the recognition and comparability of skills acquired (e.g. through a common quality framework that targets the specific national issues linked to the mobility of apprentices and the apprenticeship systems in the two countries);

(i)Involving social partners at all stages of the design, implementation and follow-up of apprentice mobility strategies and schemes.

2. Support for apprentices

(a)Implementing mobility in an inclusive manner, providing specific support to persons with disabilities and people with fewer opportunities;

(b)Complementing Erasmus+ grants with additional funding to cover the costs of apprentice mobility;

(c)Promoting pedagogical arrangements and tools to support the mobility of apprentices, for example through distance learning to overcome the differences in dual structure of learning and training;

(d)Providing increased support and outreach to apprentices, including on language preparation support (developing specific language learning materials for certain occupations in the language of the host countries);

(e)Devising accompanying measures for apprentices going abroad, for example by developing a mentoring/buddy system for the preparatory phase, offering virtual mobility in the preparatory phase (to complement physical mobility) and when abroad or supporting apprentices upon their return as they reintegrate into their working environment and use their newly acquired skills;

(f)Promoting opportunities for apprentices in VET schools, including Erasmus+ opportunities and international mobility schemes, via a dedicated network of advisors and social media;

(g)Promoting opportunities for apprentices offered on the EURES online portal to assist mobile learners in their transition to the labour market.

3. Support for companies

(a)Providing financial incentives to employers to compensate them for the period when apprentices are abroad as well as to apprentices to return to their sending employer (for example a bonus on programme completion, wage subsidy if hired after graduation);

(b)Giving targeted assistance to employers, in particular for small and medium sized enterprises, for example by supporting the establishment of intermediary networks among receiving and sending countries, preferably on a sectoral basis, to assist companies with organisational issues and legal requirements;

(c)Promoting cross-border collaborations between public employment services (PES) and employers by exploring measures that offer vocational training opportunities abroad for apprentices in sectors that are affected by the twin transition; supporting cross-border collaborations between PES and employers’ associations to address skills shortages in green and digital occupations via apprenticeship programmes; considering cross-border regional partnerships between PES as a starting point;

(d)Promoting Erasmus+ opportunities and the European Alliance for Apprenticeships among companies, highlighting the benefits of hosting and sending apprentices on mobility.

(1) COM(2020) 625 final
(2) Pursuant to Council Recommendation 2018/C of 15 March 2018 on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships (europa.eu) , apprenticeships are understood as formal vocational education and training schemes that:a) combine learning in education or training institutions with substantial work-based learning in companies and other workplaces;b) lead to nationally recognised qualifications;c) are based on an agreement defining the rights and obligations of the apprentice, the employer and, where appropriate, the vocational education and training institution; andd) involve the apprentice being paid or otherwise compensated for the work-based component.
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