Participating in a mobility experience increases the long term employability of students. (Erasmus Impact Study 2014). However, atthe same time, youth in Europe is facing huge challenges to find a job right after graduation due to the challenging labour market and the lack of skills and working experience. For employers, a mobility experience is generally considered an asset as 64% believe international experience is important, but eventually, the obtained transversal skills and knowledge are the aspects that matter the most (92%). Why are the skills gained through a mobility experience not clear and why does this lack of recognition still exist?
In response to this, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is launching ErasmusJobs, an Erasmus+ KA2 project, to bridge the skills gap for the Erasmus Generation. The project is a collaborative cross-European partnership between ESN, Masaryk University, LEO-NET, UNIVERSIDAD DE ALCALA, European Institute for Industrial Leadership, UNIVERSITE DE MONS, European University Foundation, Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata” and Expertise in Labour Mobility B.V.
From Education to Labour Market
ErasmusJobs project aims to bridge the skills gap and enhance the transition from education to the labour market. Building on the core principle that a mobility experience reduces long-term unemployment, the project aims to clearly identify the skills gained during a stay abroad and make those more understandable by employers. In order to achieve that, ErasmusJobs brings together many stakeholders to ensure a future of employable Erasmus+ alumni.
The project aims to identify the obtained skills and translate these to the CV and labour market. It aims to create tools to identify such skills and work on the recognition of skills with employers and the industry, to create understanding. Finally, the project intends to create a common understanding of how these skills can be mapped and raise awareness among employers.
Building on that, the project will create a platform for all involved stakeholders to advertise, recognise and recruit for specific transversal key competences. The platform, similar to ErasmusIntern.org, will helpErasmus+ Alumni to better advertise skills gained through a mobility experience, volunteering, or other non-formal learning.
Training Toolkit and Best Practices
Further aiming to increase the impact, the project will implement a training toolkit for the various stakeholders involved. The toolkit will further ensure that students are aware of their skills, raise awareness in the industry, support career offices and promote the various outcomes of the project through training content.
Finally, the ErasmusJobs project will work to translate all the outcomes of the research, competency profile and skills mapping, to easily understand and implement best practices. A final conference will be organized in Brussels to launch the Job platform of the Erasmus Generation. Several trainings for university staff will be organised, to equip them with the knowledge on how to identify and promote the skills gained by university students through informal learning.