Leonardo da Vinci: in 2005, almost 70 000 people will complete vocational training placements in another European country thanks to the EU

Friday, July 8 2005, 15:04

The selection of mobility projects for the Leonardo da Vinci programme has produced very good results this year: 3 015 projects have been selected across Europe[1], corresponding to almost 70 000 traineeships in total (i.e. an average of 23 trainees per project). This mobility scheme, which was allocated a budget of € 120 M this year, has gone from strength to strength, with the number of grant recipients almost doubling in five years.

Ján Figel' i, the Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Training, stresses that the Leonardo da Vinci programme, by supporting the mobility of people in vocational training, is contributing actively to the emergence of a genuine European labour market in which the qualifications obtained in another country may be recognised at European level, while benefiting European citizenship.

The Leonardo da Vinci programme makes it possible for people in vocational training to obtain a grant for completing a traineeship in another European country. The target groups cover all types of vocational training, such as initial vocational training, students looking for traineeships, recent graduates and young workers.

In 2005:

  • Almost half of all beneficiaries (31 000) will be young people in initial vocational training who will spend between three weeks and nine months in a company or vocational training institution abroad.
  • 12 000 students (20%) will be able to complete a placement in a company abroad for between three and twelve months.
  • 11 800 young workers and recent graduates will leave for a period of between two and twelve months.

Leonardo da Vinci also supports exchanges of experience between the vocational training sector and the business sector. Approximately 11 000 human resource managers, careers advisers, trainers and language tutors will thus receive a Leonardo grant for working meetings with their counterparts in another country for a period of between one and six weeks.

Almost 300 000 people received a Leonardo grant between 2000 and 2005, with the number of participants doubling from 37 000 in 2000 to 68 000 this year. For 2005, it was possible to provide funding for only half of the more than 6 000 project applications submitted, for a total sum of € 120 M.

The Leonardo da Vinci mobility projects are managed on a decentralised basis by 33 National Agencies in the countries participating in the programme.

They are responsible for evaluating and selecting proposals, managing the projects selected and providing information on the options available under the programme in their own countries.

With the launch of the Europass in January 2005 (European passport for vocational training and qualifications), qualifications and skills acquired during a traineeship in another country may be recognised, under certain conditions, in the trainees' country of origin. People who receive Leonardo da Vinci grants will be able to obtain the "Europass-Mobility" document, which is one of the documents included in the Europass.

The addresses of the National Agencies may be consulted at the following site:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/leonardo/new/leonardo2/nalist2en.html

Europass-Mobility and Europass:

http://europass.cedefop.eu.int

Number of Leonardo placements 2000-2005

Country
Of origin

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