Learner mobility

The mobility of students/trainees (or learners) can take place via bilateral cooperation or partnerships or twinning between education and training institutions in Portugal and non-community countries, and also as part of EU programmes in the field of education and training.

In terms of adult education, the Erasmus+ Programme gives priority to projects that contribute to improving qualifications, including training incentives, information that facilitates access to lifelong learning, aspects of the validation of non-formal and informal learning, career guidance for adults and adjustment of learning opportunities, among other topics.

As part of the Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027), Key Action 1 supports student and staff mobility in adult education.
Eligible participants in mobility projects include organisations providing formal, informal and non-formal adult education, local and regional public authorities, coordination bodies and other organisations with a role in the field of adult education. Learner mobility in the adult education sector can be of varying duration, depending on the format. 
Participation in European cooperation projects, covered by Key-Action 2: Cooperation between organisations and institutions, facilitates specific projects in this area (between 12 and 36 months) and presupposes the participation of at least three institutions dedicated to the issue from three countries involved in the programme. Exception is made for small partnership projects, which may have only two partners.
They can involve wide-ranging cooperation activities, including the thematic interchange of learners and staff activities within adult education.

The mobility of teachers and trainers in Europe has always been seen as fundamental for the internationalisation of education and training, including in the area of adult education and training, aiming to improve the qualifications of the Portuguese population.

To this end, the Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027) encourages the mobility of adult education professionals, crucial for their capacity building.
 In particular, Key Action 1 (Learning Mobility of Individuals) enables the European mobility of professionals in adult education and training. It includes activities in various formats and different lengths, such as job shadowing, teaching or training assignments or courses and training. 

Mobility projects involve at least two participating organisations from two different countries, with the candidate institution having to be recognised as an active organisation in adult education or lead a consortium of bodies with the same type of professional profile. At the application stage only the candidate body has to be identified, while the foreign participant can be defined after the application has been approved.

Erasmus+ projects seek to provide several possibilities for mobility: the participant can undertake both online and face-to-face activities, both in the host country (physical mobility); online activities in their home institution’s country and then travel to the host country for face-to-face activities (blended mobility).