Why take up a virtual mobility opportunity?
The benefits of providing and promoting mobility opportunities have been widely recognised by policymakers across the EU. The ErasmusPlus programme acts as an international model in terms of encouraging mobility. In its 2021-2027 cycle, there is an expectation of up to 10 million individual participants, including students, learners, professors, teachers and trainers in all sectors.
These participants will be expecting the following benefits, that they can:
- pursue stimulating opportunities for learning inside and outside of the classroom
- boost employability and broaden horizons (physically and mentally)
- develop cultural awareness and open-mindedness
- enhance self-confidence and improve and gain language skills
However, there are a range of limitations that make these mobility options less inclusive to groups in society with a range of different disabilities. Key barriers are associated with costs, socio-economic and health-related issues limiting options for people with a disability. Furthermore, hosting organisations are quite often incapable of providing a safe and accessible environment.
According to an NGO working in this area, “While the overall number of young people and students experiencing Erasmus+ exchanges are increasing rapidly, the number of students and young people with disabilities taking part in Erasmus+ has been almost stagnating over the past few years.”
By adding Virtual Mobility opportunities to the programme, this creates a potential to reduce barriers by adding the virtual component and making mobilities accessible to many more people.
This toolkit explores the wide range of opportunities that exist for learners, students, apprentices and others in the world of virtual mobility.