Learner Mobility
In the field of initial and continuing vocational education and training, promoting cross-border collaboration is intended to lead to the development of quality and innovations as well as to intensifying the European dimension in initial and continuing vocational education and training.
The Educational Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst – PAD) of the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz) is the biggest partner of the German UNESCO Commission (DUK) in organising the international voluntary service “kulturweit” that is supported by the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). The voluntary service offers young people the chance to spend six or twelve months working in the field of foreign cultural and educational policy. Since 2009, the PAD in cooperation with the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen – ZfA), has been sending young volunteers from Germany to foreign schools (DSD schools) where the German Language Diploma of the Standing Conference is awarded (Deutsches Sprachdiplom– DSD) as well as to German schools abroad within the scope of “kulturweit”. The majority of the schools are in central and eastern European countries; other work locations are in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Depending on their previous knowledge and skills, the volunteers, who are aged between 18 and 26, support the local schools by supervising homework, for example, offering teaching projects on various topics, by getting involved in the school theatre group, supplementing sports, arts or music lessons, organising PR or alumni work etc. Every year the PAD places around 200 volunteers.
In cooperation with the Franco-German Youth Organisation (Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk – DFJW), the French Agence du Service Civique and the majority of the Länder, the PAD has been organising a German-French voluntary service at schools since the school year 2012/2013. This voluntary service is aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who want to work in a school in the partner country for ten months. They have the opportunity to take part in school and extracurricular activities and can participate according to their interests and skills. They can take part in everyday school life and enrich this with their culture and language. Up to 70 participants are to be placed each year.
Teacher and Trainer Mobility
Within the framework of Erasmus+ (2014–2020) the National Agency Education for Europe is supporting mobility projects for staff in the field of adult education. In 2018, 1,452 grants were awarded within the framework of these projects.