The perceived impact of Erasmus+ learning mobility: European university students’ views concerning their competences and employability

Abstract

The Erasmus+ programme represents one of the most tangible achievements of the EU: uniting people across our continent, creating a sense of belonging and solidarity. This statement reflects the programme’s scope and the broad range of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (competences) expected to be developed by those participating in mobility exchanges. In this context, the European project Erasmus Skills aimed to create a self-assessment tool to support students, pursuing an Erasmus+ learning mobility for studies, to assess and better understand the competences developed during this experience. The present paper briefly presents the aims of the cross-institutional project and discusses the results of the confirmatory focus groups that were carried out in Greece, Spain, and Belgium. In specific, the data analysis depicts university students’ views regarding the purpose of the Erasmus+ programme, the competences expected to be or already gained, and its impact on their employability. The study also explores participants’ views on the institutional support needed and their recommendations concerning prospective Erasmus students. The results indicate that participants’ views are generally aligned with the objectives of Erasmus+, while additional findings regarding the perceived impact of learning mobility might offer new insights in terms of the institutional support needed.