Skills in motion: the educational value of international mobility

“Erasmus+ enriches lives, opens minds.”
European Commission, official motto of the Erasmus+ Programme

Erasmus+ is one of the most significant programmes created by the European Union and one of the most concrete expressions of the European project. Since 1987, it has enabled generations of students to cross borders, discover other university systems, experience different cultures and feel part of a wider community. Its impact does not concern only the period spent abroad, but also the way in which mobility can transform the personal, educational and professional path of those who experience it.

Alongside Erasmus+, there are other international mobility opportunities for study, traineeships, research, volunteering or training. Although these experiences may differ in nature, they share one key element: they allow people to come into contact with new contexts, test their own abilities and develop skills that can stay with them even after their return.

Mobility can also strengthen European awareness, because it allows people to experience Europe not only as an institutional space, but as a concrete experience of encounter and participation.

Moreover, communicating in another language, finding one’s way in a new environment, collaborating with people from different backgrounds, dealing with unexpected situations and making decisions independently are all situations that can contribute to university, personal and professional growth.

The value of these experiences also depends on the ability to recognise what one learns. Some aspects of mobility are already supported by formal tools, such as Learning Agreements, Traineeship Agreements, academic credits, certificates or attestations. Other skills, which are more transversal and connected to personal experience, require greater awareness in order to be identified, described and valued, including in dialogue with universities, institutions and the world of work.

Starting from the documents provided, your personal knowledge, and the mobility path you are preparing to experience or imagine undertaking, reflect on the value of the skills that can arise from an international mobility experience. Also consider which tools, forms of attention or support could help students better recognise and value what they learn through mobility.

With what expectations and motivations are you preparing to experience an international mobility period?

Which skills do you think can be developed during a study or traineeship period abroad, beyond academic and language-related skills?

Which previous experiences do you think could help you face an international context?

Which skills are more easily recognised, and which risk remaining less visible?

How could universities, institutions, associations and the world of work better support students in recognising and valuing what they learn through mobility?

Develop the topic in the form of a short essay, interpreting and comparing the documents provided, with the help of the questions included in the prompt. Support your discussion also with references to your personal knowledge, studies and experiences.

Place a title before the essay that is consistent with the content and theme discussed. Remember to cite the documents within the text to support your reflections.

Do not exceed the limit of one protocol sheet, maximum 4 columns, or four pages in Arial 12 font, double spacing and normal margins.












 

Document #1

European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. Erasmus+ 2021–2027: Enriching lives, opening minds through the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport. Publications Office of the European Union, 2021.https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ff1edfdf-8bca-11eb-b85c-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

“Erasmus+ mobility has positive effects on educational, social, personal and professional development, in that it enhances knowledge, skills and attitudes, improves employability, helps confidence-building and independence, stimulates curiosity and innovation, fosters the understanding of other people, and builds a sense of European belonging.”

[…]

“Through the unique experience of living, studying, training or travelling abroad, participants gain self-confidence and soft skills, discover different cultures and build networks of interpersonal and professional relationships with people from other countries. This fosters their employability and active participation in society and contributes to greater social inclusion and a strengthened European identity.”

 

Document #2

European Commission. Erasmus+ Student Charter. Erasmus+ Programme.
https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/erasmus-student-charter-0

“You are encouraged to take full advantage of all the learning opportunities available at the receiving institution/organisation, as well as maximising the benefits of your time abroad by taking an active part in the local society through intercultural or civic engagement activities/projects.”

[…]

“You are entitled to receive full automatic academic recognition from the sending institution for the activities satisfactorily completed during your mobility period, in accordance with the learning agreement.”

[…]

“When doing a traineeship, you are entitled to receive a traineeship certificate, if possible, in a digital format, from the receiving organisation/institution, summarising the tasks carried out and providing an evaluation. The sending institution will also give you a transcript of records, if specified in the learning agreement.

If the traineeship was not part of the curriculum, you may request to have it recorded in the Europass Mobility document and if you are enrolled in a higher education institution located in a member country of the Bologna Process, the mobility period should be additionally recorded in your Diploma Supplement.”

 

Document #3

Dias, Rita; Buseyne, Siem; Haadad, Yazeed; Topi, Kevin; Dear, Christie; Mistretta, Luca; Rayón Gonzalez, Juan; Gabriels, Wim. ESNsurvey – 15th Edition: Making Quality Mobility a Reality for All. Erasmus Student Network AISBL, 2024.
https://exchangeability.eu/sites/default/files/news/xv-esnsurvey_final-report.pdf

“Regarding the skills developed by international students while abroad, a sample of 14,489 responses revealed insights into the top 10 self-assessed skills that exchange students improved during their stay. The most enhanced skills include language skills (86.22%), communication skills (75.86%), open-mindedness (74.76%), social skills (69.37%), adaptability to change (67.46%), cultural awareness (65.1%), intercultural sensitivity (62.24%), adaptability (58.63%), curiosity/openness (52.09%) and critical thinking (50.01%).

On the other hand, skills that were rated lower, at 20% or below, include creativity (28.26%), research culture (27.39%), leadership (20.82%), innovation (19.96%) and entrepreneurship (11.03%).”

Figure 57 – Relative frequency of skills improved during the exchange, ESNsurvey XV, 2024.

 

Document #4

European Commission. Union of Skills: Investing in people for a competitive European Union. European Commission, 2025.
https://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/union-skills_en

“The union of skills will empower people across the EU with the skills they need to succeed in their educational and professional lives. It will also make it easier to use these skills in different EU countries. By addressing gender imbalances and helping European businesses find the workers they need, it aims to make the EU more competitive and inclusive.”

[…]

“Circulating skills across the EU will unlock the full potential of the single market. The union of skills focuses on:

  • a skills portability initiative, to enhance the portability of skills and qualifications across the EU, independently of where they were acquired;

  • working towards a European degree to facilitate the development of innovative joint study programmes across the EU;

  • a new European VET diploma;

  • strengthening European universities alliances and centres of vocational excellence;

  • European school alliances to enhance teacher and student mobility.”

 

Document #5

Perez-Encinas, Adriana; Gabriels, Wim; Ripmeester, Nannette. Erasmus Skills: unpacking the employability benefits of mobility. EAIE – European Association for International Education, 2 February 2021.
https://www.eaie.org/resource/erasmus-skills-employability-mobility.html

“Let’s start from scratch: Study abroad and student mobility are seen as positive indicators for enhanced employability, however only when students are able to unpack what they have gained while being abroad. We are all too familiar with a student saying it was ‘great fun’. Even though this was undoubtedly the case, students will need to dive deeper when they want to maximise the employability benefits of their mobility.”

[…]

“Students need to be able to reflect on their learning experience in order to conceptualise what they have learned, what skills they have acquired and how their exchange has changed their views on the world and their behaviour towards other people.”

[…]

“However, hardly any initiatives have been found supporting returning students. As mentioned before, all stages of the international student lifecycle are important to maximise the student’s learning period. In the returning stage, initiatives and services offered in the home institution could be very valuable: they provide advice and serve as a self-reflection mechanism for reintegration and identification of learning outcomes.”

[…]

“Any employer that we spoke to made it very clear that they will still value global experience and people with the skills our research identified as critical. However, employers underlined that they will need more proof of what the students have gained in their mobility exchanges. The ability to translate what you have learned while being in another European country, and how this can add value to your job, has become even more critical.”

 

Document #6

Ivalina. How Erasmus influenced my career path. Erasmus Generation Blog
https://blog.erasmusgeneration.org/how-erasmus-influenced-my-career-path

“As a fresh university graduate, I am once again facing the road, doubting If I will choose the dream job or I will settle for doing something mediocre. I have to admit that soon after I started my university studies I found out that the degree I will have one day won’t be enough for me to feel confident and satisfied with my job. Perhaps it was the ambitious voice inside my head, but this thought followed during the whole 5-year journey until I finished my thesis. Thankfully, I realized too soon that if I wanted to develop my soft and hard skills in other fields, I had to either work or study for a second degree. I chose none of these, but I went on multiple short-term Erasmus+ programmes, followed by one semester abroad and while writing this, I am on my way to my second long-term Erasmus mobility.”

[…]

“Coming to this present moment, I am proud to say that thanks to Erasmus and to ESN I gained a plethora of soft and hard skills in a safe learning environment.”

[…]

“Moreover, I naturally developed my presentation and organisational skills, and I became a better team player and leader of other volunteers. I have countless certificates for volunteering, but these are just papers. What I value the most is that I feel confident in myself when I add all these skills and competencies to my CV or simply to my daily life.”