Around 15.000 Cypriots are expected to benefit from Erasmus+, the EU`s new funding programme for education, training, youth and sport, which was launched Friday in Nicosia by European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou.
The new programme will provide grants for more than four million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience or volunteer abroad over the next seven years. Erasmus+ will have a total budget of €14.7 billion – 40% more than previously.
Cyprus will receive a total of €8.6 million in 2014 from Erasmus+, a 14% increase compared with the funding it received in 2013. It is envisaged that, as with other participating countries, the annual allocation will increase each year up to 2020. Cyprus can also benefit further from grants for transnational sports projects and the Jean Monnet action for European integration studies in higher education.
In her speech, Vassiliou said that Erasmus + is an expression of hope for millions of people.
“Our message is clear: investment in education and training should continue even during the consolidation of our public finances,” she said.
Saying that recent OECD research suggests that Cyprus is facing serious challenges on the performance of the students, ranking last among the Member States in reading skills, math and science, she added that the results of the countries with the best performance reveal that their systems are more ready to equip young people with skills and competences but also to create new jobs.
“If Cyprus wants to create growth conditions that are beyond the traditional model of economy, it must deal in depth with the findings of this research and proceed to reform,” she said.
She also noted that despite record levels of unemployment, one in three employers in Europe cannot find people with the right skills to fill job vacancies. Although Cyprus, she added, has one of the highest rates of University graduates, the employment rate of those who have graduated in the past three years is one of the lowest in the European Union. She noted that work mobility alone cannot solve this problem, but is an important part of the answer.
“We have the duty to help young people make the transition from one phase of education to another, and, finally, to the world of work. This is a challenge for the entire EU and it is here where Europe can make the difference, “she said, adding that Erasmus+ responds to this call.
In her speech Social Insurance Minister Zeta Aimilianidou pointed out that Erasmus + provides many opportunities for the Government to implement its strategic objectives in the fight against unemployment and will prove a valuable tool in the efforts to upgrade the country`s human resources.
On behalf of the Minister of Education Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Aigli Pantelaki said that Cyprus during its Presidency of the EU Council has played an important role in shaping the program. As she said, Erasmus + is a good example of increase in the investment of areas affected by the economic crisis.