Erasmus accreditation in the fields of vocational education and training, school education and adult education

Erasmus accreditation is a tool for organisations in vocational education and training (VET), school education and adult education that want to open up to cross-border exchange and cooperation. Award of the Erasmus accreditation confirms that the applicant has set up a plan to implement high quality mobility activities as part of a wider effort to develop their organisation. This plan is called an Erasmus Plan and it is a key part of the application for Erasmus accreditation.

Applicants can apply for an individual Erasmus accreditation for their organisation, or for an Erasmus accreditation for mobility consortium coordinators, as explained below. Previous experience in the Programme is not required to apply.

Organisations that already have an Erasmus accreditation may be awarded an excellence label to recognise their past work and dedication to quality.

How to access mobility opportunities with an Erasmus accreditation?

Successful applicants for Erasmus accreditation will gain simplified access to Key Action 1 funding opportunities in the form of accredited mobility projects presented in this Guide.

Objectives of the Action

In all three fields:

Strengthening the European dimension of teaching and learning by:  

• promoting values of inclusion and diversity, tolerance, and democratic participation
• promoting knowledge about shared European heritage and diversity  
• supporting development of professional networks across Europe

In the field of vocational education and training

Contributing to the implementation of the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training and the Osnabrück Declaration and to the European Skills Agenda, and to the creation of the European Education Area by:

• increasing the quality of initial and continuing vocational education and training (IVET and CVET)
• strengthening key competences and transversal skills, in particular language learning and digital skills
• supporting the development of job specific skills needed in the current and future labour market
• sharing best practices and promoting the use of new and innovative pedagogical methods and technologies, and supporting the professional development of teachers, trainers, mentors and other staff in VET
• building the capacity of VET providers to carry out high quality mobility projects, and their ability to form quality partnerships while developing their internationalisation strategy
• making mobility a realistic possibility for any learner in IVET and CVET, and increasing the average duration of mobility for VET learners to increase its quality and impact
• fostering the quality, transparency and recognition of learning outcomes of mobility periods abroad, especially by using European tools and instruments for this purpose

In the field of school education

Increasing the quality of teaching and learning in school education by:

• supporting professional development of teachers, school leaders and other school staff
• promoting the use of new technologies and innovative teaching methods
• improving language learning and language diversity in schools  
• supporting the sharing and transfer of best practices in teaching and school development

Contributing to the creation of the European Education Area by:

• building capacity of schools to engage in cross-border exchanges and cooperation, and carry out high quality mobility projects
• making learning mobility a realistic possibility for any pupil in school education
• fostering recognition of learning outcomes of pupils and staff in mobility periods abroad

In the field of adult education

Contributing to the creation of the European Education Area and to the European Skills Agenda by:

• increasing the quality of formal, informal and non-formal adult education
• improving the quality of the adult education offer through professionalisation of its staff and building capacity of adult education providers to implement high quality learning programmes
• increasing the quality of teaching and learning in all forms of adult education, and making it relevant to the needs of the society at large
• improving the provision of adult education for key competences as defined by the EU framework (2018), including basic skills (literacy, numeracy, digital skills) and other life skills
• building the capacity of adult education providers and other organisations with a role in the adult education field to carry out high quality mobility projects
• raising the participation of adults of all ages and socio-economic background in adult education, especially by fostering participation of organisations working with disadvantaged learners, small adult education providers, newcomers to the Programme and less experienced organisations, as well as community-based grassroots organisations