Mobility in Adult Education and Training

Learner Mobility

KA1 Mobility Projects for VET learners provides funding to VET organisations to send their VET learners to other participating European countries to undertake work placements.  These projects aim to improve their level of key competences and skills with particular regard to their relevance to the labour market.  Applications for KA1 VET mobility projects (KA102) are accepted from any VET organisation in Ireland to send both VET students and recent graduates (up to 12 months after graduation).  Activities range from 2 weeks up to 12 months.  A recent impact study undertaken by Leargas which analysed participation from across 21 VET organisations in Ireland found that more than 1,200 VET learners travelled for less than one-month duration and that these learners not only improved professional competences they also improved their intercultural skills and personal confidence.  The placements also had associated benefits for the vocational organisations that arranged them, in particular enabling closer relations with employers, increasing international connections, motivating staff and attracting new learners.  The link to the Irish Impact Study of Erasmus+ International Work Placements for Vocational Learners from Ireland can be found here: 

Teacher and Trainer Mobility

Under Key Action 1 Erasmus+ provides professional development opportunities for Adult Education and Vocational Education and Training staff involved in teaching and training, and staff with administrative or guidance functions to other participating countries.  Under Key Action 1 for VET this is specifically teaching, job shadowing and work placement activities only.  This can take place in a business, enterprise or VET institution.  Under Adult Education it can be job shadowing, attendance at courses or conferences and undertaking teaching assignments.  These activities must be a minimum of two days and up to two months duration.  The aim of these individual learning mobilities is to improve professional skills and competences of staff and to disseminate learning amongst wider staff and their organisation on return.  These projects are led by the organisations and such must be linked to their overall professional and strategic development. 

Adult education and Vocational Education & Training in Ireland is described in national policy as Further Education and Training (FET).  Further Education and Training in Ireland is delivered through sixteen regional Educational and Training Boards (ETB’s).  The ETB’s are the main provider of Adult Education and Vocational Education and Training in Ireland.  Staff development of the ETB’s is informed by the FET Professional Development Strategy (2017-2019). This strategy was developed in by SOLAS in close consultation with the ETB’s.  SOLAS was established in 2013 under the Further Education and Training act to fund, coordinate and monitor FET provision in Ireland.  The FET Professional Development Strategy reflects national and European policy and aims to address the professional development needs of adult education and VET staff in the ETB’s.   A significant proportion of ETB’s in Ireland have engaged in KA1 projects (both KA104 and KA102) to support the professional development of their staff in line with the FET Professional Development Strategy.  Areas of focus have included vocational upskilling and reskilling, employer engagement, quality assurance, technology enhanced learning (TEL) and leadership and management development.  Adult Education in Ireland also encompasses a wider range of providers including Community Education providers, NGO’s and the voluntary sector.  This range of providers have engaged with KA1 Adult Education Mobility Projects (KA104) to address a diverse range of professional development needs in order to more effectively effectively reach and engaged adults experiencing educational inequality.