The European Commission recently published a new call for project proposals on long-term mobility for apprentices. The goal of the call is to enable young apprentices to develop their skills and enhance their employability prospects, whilst also strengthening their sense of European citizenship. This should be done by testing different approaches for putting in place the necessary support infrastructure as well as the relevant institutional and contractual frameworks to assist with the placement of apprentices from the moment of departure abroad through to the return date.
Actions should:
1. assess to what extent demand exists among relevant stakeholders for developing long-term (minimum 6 to maximum 12 months) transnational apprentice mobility schemes, and the uptake of such schemes;
2. identify obstacles (legal, practical, institutional, academic, etc.) that prevent apprentices from carrying out longer-term stays abroad;
3. identify and disseminate good practices and success factors for long-term work placements for apprentices.
Financing shall include the infrastructure and network development costs incurred by project beneficiaries, as well as the actual costs associated with the mobility experience of the apprentices (i.e. travel, accommodation, local transport and subsistence of the students abroad). Projects should implement inter alia the following activities:
1. Identify the candidates for placements and ensure appropriate matching of their profiles to the labour demand needs of the host companies.
2. Organise induction/welcome sessions, pre-mobility training and language courses.
3. Design and develop detailed learning agreements for the work placements of the apprentices.
4. Organise the travel and accommodation of the selected apprentices.
5. Put in place specific activities to facilitate youth integration in the host location thus fostering a sense of European citizenship among the apprentices.
6. Carry out a thorough assessment and evaluation at different stages of the placement experience.
7. Develop and test models for long-term exchanges of apprentices in enterprises.
8. Develop and implement a communication and awareness raising plan focusing on the benefits of long-term apprentice mobility.
Deadline for submitting applications is 29 March 2017.
Budgets earmarked for each project is EUR 300.000 – EUR 500.000 (from a total budget of EUR 2.841.856). The co-financing is 85%.
To be eligible, actions must have the involvement of at least two applicants (lead and co-applicants) established in at least two different EU Member States. At least one of these organisations is a sending organisation and at least one is a receiving organisation that will provide the work experience. The sending and the receiving organisations must be in different Member States to ensure the transnational nature of the action.
For more information on the funding opportunity on long-term mobility, check the funding website (EN).
If you have any further questions, please get in touch with Florian at florian.tuder@eurodiaconia.org.