Why you should take part in an Erasmus+ mobility programme
and how it will impact your life

For some students participating in an Erasmus mobility programme might not be easy though it seems like the best thing that might happen to a university student who most of the time spends time in university campus studying which might become so ordinary and sometimes boring.
If you are a student looking for new opportunities to go abroad and experience something novel, you might start thinking about going abroad with an Erasmus mobility programme.

In this article, we will try to show you the impacts of Erasmus on students based on two reports published by European Commission, first in 2014 and then in 2016,. It is necessary for us to know these findings in order to see the big picture that can only be completed by feedback of those students’ experiences who have become a part of Erasmus family once.

Because of the fact that one of the aspects of Erasmus programme is directed to youth, also we will mostly focus on youth here, first we want to celebrate your International Youth Day.

This year on August 12 most young people around the world have celebrated the International Youth Day either by arranging different activities or by using social media in order to express their feelings. So what is the importance of this day? Why do we celebrate it? Let’s briefly remember the historical background of this day.

In 1985, the first International Youth Day was celebrated by the UN. In 1995, the World Programme of Action for Youth has been published that included fifteen “priority areas”, that is to say, many goals that are to be realized by 2030.

Among these goals, education and employment are two of the areas on which Erasmus+ programme particularly focuses on and are the relevant areas for our organization as well.

At this point, the aims of the EU with the Erasmus programme intertwine with the goals set by the UN and we work to develop the quality of education and training thereby trying to contribute to the efforts worldwide. For instance, while the World Programme of Action for Youth is a programme which has been aimed to be implemented at the global level, Erasmus programme can be seen as an effort in the area of youth development at the regional level in Europe.  And because our organization is committed to dealing with education, training and European culture, it is necessary to remind our young readers the impact of Erasmus on students and also make you rethink the place of the programme in your life. To do this we will take into consideration a report named the “Erasmus Impact Study Regional Analysis” published by the European Commission in 2016.

So, what is the impact of Erasmus programme on students living in the European region according to the findings of 2016 report?
First of all the report focuses specifically on two main impacts of Erasmus experience on future career of students; increase in the chances of employment and development of skills. Regarding the employment factor students who have had an Erasmus experience are more likely to find a job “within the first three months after their graduation”. When we think about the high levels of unemployment in some of the European countries, such a finding is promising indeed.
In other words Erasmus is a good path for students, especially for university students, who are willing to increase the contingencies of their employability. Besides, for starters, it is an ideal way for exploring the working environment while being a part of a team and working together for the same goal.

If you are a university student and do not know where to start with regard to planning your future and how to increase your chances of employment, Erasmus is one of the ways you can choose to start with.

In addition to factors such as employment and career development, the impacts of Erasmus on youth have another dimension that is the international one: (data from 2014 report)

As we wish to summarize, we would like to keep it brief: Erasmus impacts and shapes both your professional and personal life.

(If you want to learn more about the results of the 2016 report, you can find it here.)