Erasmus+ Adult Education Mobility

The European Union programme Erasmus+ funds Adult Education projects across Europe. This is both to provide learning opportunities to individuals, and to support the internationalisation and institutional development of adult education organisations.  Developing Adult Education in this way will contribute to achieving the wider goals of the European Union, like the European Education Area and European Skills Agenda.

There are two main types of Erasmus+ Adult Education projects, ‘Learning Mobility for Individuals’ and ‘Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices’. This page explains what an organisation can do on an Adult Education Mobility project and how to get involved. You can then sign up to our newsletter or come to an information session to find out more.

If you want to apply for funding, you will need to be familiar with the priorities of Erasmus+. You will also need to read the Adult Education Mobility section of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide to understand the programme rules.

What is an Adult Education Mobility Project?

A ‘Mobility’ project is where an Adult Education organisation sends its learners or staff to another country to train or learn, to go on a teaching assignment, or to job-shadow. The organisation applies for funding to prepare and manage the project, and for the costs of travel and participation. Extra funding is available to include those with fewer opportunities. The minimum time a project can last is six months.

Who Can Take Part in a Mobility Project?

Any organisation in Ireland that provides Adult Education, or is otherwise active in Adult Education, can apply to Léargas for funding. This can include libraries, museums, prisons, NGOs and community education organisations. Download the list of all eligible organisations for 2024.

Both Adult Education staff and learners can take part in Mobility projects. ‘Adult Education staff’ means teachers, trainers, and other non-teaching experts and staff in Adult Education.

For an Erasmus+ Mobility project, Adult Education learner’ means “Any adult learner who is no longer in initial education or training and is returning to, or participating in, some form of non-vocational continuing learning (formal, non-formal, informal) or who experiences educational disadvantage or other obstacles that impacts their participation in a learning programme”. This is the definition provided by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

 

What Happens on a Mobility Project?

A Mobility project involves Adult Education staff or learners travelling to another Erasmus+ programme country. This could mean:

  • Individual or groups of Adult Learners going to another country for peer learning, work-based learning or other innovative learning
  • Staff teaching or training at a partner organisation
  • Staff participating in courses or training abroad
  • Staff job-shadowing in a partner organisation
  • An organisation hosting invited experts, teachers or trainers.

What is the Funding for a Mobility Project?

Erasmus+ funding is available to contribute to costs in distinct categories. These categories are the same for both short-term and accredited projects. The information here gives you an idea of the funding categories available, but you must check the Erasmus+ Programme Guide for full details.

  • Organisational Support – preparing and managing all phases of the project
  • Travel – return travel costs from participants’ homes to the venue of the activity (for example, where they will work or attend a course)
  • Individual Support – ‘subsistence’ costs of participants (for example, food and accommodation)
  • Inclusion support – additional funding to enable people with fewer opportunities to take part
  • Preparatory visits – for visits to hosting organisations before the ‘mobility period’ takes place
  • Course fees – for training course enrolment fees
  • Linguistic support – for language learning materials and training, where needed
  • Exceptional costs – Such as costs for providing a financial guarantee, if the National Agency asks for it; or expensive travel costs (for example, when a participant is travelling to or from a very remote place).

There is no set amount of funding for an Adult Education Mobility Project. It is decided by the quality of the project planned, and the amount of funding available. As a guideline, in 2020 projects received funding from €11,000 to €56,000.  See Guide to Your Funding for budget allocations in 2021.

 

 

Four Ways To Get Involved

Option 1

BEGIN EXPLORING

Apply for a one-off project lasting six to 18 months.

Option 2

GET ACCREDITED

Become an ‘accredited’ organisation with an ‘Erasmus Plan’, and apply for a series of projects over several years.

Register Now
Option 3

JOIN A CONSORTIUM

Join an existing mobility consortium led by another organisation in Ireland

 

Option 4

BECOME A HOST

Host participants from another country – this is a good way to create partnerships and learn more before applying.

 

How Does an Organisation Find Courses and Partners?

The Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe, EPALE, is a great source of information for identifying courses or project partners. Experienced peers in Adult Education organisations in Ireland will also be help to with recommendations. Visit our Funded Projects section (link to funded projects section) to see which organisations have previously taken part.

What Happens Next?

Once the project is planned, the organisation can submit an online application before the deadline. The application requires a lot of detail and organisations should allocate at least six weeks to plan and write it.

Léargas evaluate applications using strict Erasmus+ criteria. We contact applicants with our decision three months after the deadline. If your project is funded, the organisation receives a large proportion of the funding at the start of the project. The organisation then carries out the project and submits a Final Report on its progress. The remainder of the funding is paid when this Final Report is approved.

Application Deadline!

Click here for more information on Erasmus+ Adult Education Mobility deadlines

Deadlines – Leargas

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Key Events

Adult Education Erasmus+ Info Session

Adult Education Erasmus+ Info Session

This event will give you an overview of one of the exciting programmes available for Adult and Community Education organisations in Ireland.

Deadline: 2024-01-14 17:00:00
What’s New in Adult Ed?

What’s New in Adult Ed?

This event will give you an overview of recent updates for both Key Action 1 and Key Action 2 Erasmus+ projects in the field of Adult Education.

Deadline: 2024-01-04 17:00:00
Engaging EPALE: A Tool for Success

Engaging EPALE: A Tool for Success

During this in-person workshop, you will gain an introduction to how to use EPALE for exploring, sharing and collaborating for Adult Learning Education and Adult Education E+ projects.

Deadline: 2024-01-08 17:00:00
Erasmus+ KA2 Application Webinar for Cooperation Partnerships

Erasmus+ KA2 Application Webinar for Cooperation Partnerships

This event is designed for those preparing Erasmus+ KA2 Cooperation Partnerships applications in Adult Education, VET, School Education and Youth for the March deadline.

Deadline: 2024-01-21 17:00:00
Erasmus+ KA2 Application Webinar for Small-Scale Partnerships Projects

Erasmus+ KA2 Application Webinar for Small-Scale Partnerships Projects

This workshop is designed for individuals and organisations preparing Erasmus+ KA2 Small-Scale Partnership applications in the fields of VET, Schools and Youth for the March deadline.

Deadline: 2024-01-21 17:00:00
Erasmus+ KA121 Budget Accreditation Application Clinic- Schools & Adult Ed

Erasmus+ KA121 Budget Accreditation Application Clinic- Schools & Adult Ed

Join us for guidance and support about taking the next steps in applying for KA121 funding to start your Erasmus+ Accreditation journey!

Deadline: 2024-01-30 10:00:00

Latest News

Léargas Microgrant Scheme

Léargas Microgrant Scheme

As part of European Youth Week 2024, Léargas is launching a Microgrant Scheme to welcome newcomers to European funding and increase awareness about the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes. The scheme will offer €5,000 grants to non-profit organisations working with young people (ages 13–30) such as youth organisations, secondary schools, community centres, community development, clubs, etc.

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Meet The Team

Jemma Lee

Senior Support and Development Officer, Adult Education KA1 & KA2, Project Support KA2 (01) 8871208

May Diamond

Operations Officer, Erasmus+ Adult Education, School Education & VET (01) 8871215

Ronan Ivory

Finance Officer, Erasmus+ Adult Education, School Education & VET (01) 8871211

Stephen Gilligan

Finance Officer, Erasmus+ Adult Education, School Education & VET (01) 8871218

Bronagh Hanlon

Finance Officer, Erasmus+ Adult Education, School Education & VET (01) 8871234