In line with the 2016 Pilot Project on long-term mobility of apprentices, the aim of the Call for proposals (VP/2017/007) Pilot Project on long-term mobility for apprentices -“A European framework for mobility of apprentices: Developing European citizenship and skills through youth integration in the labour market”, is to enable young apprentices to develop their skills and enhance their employability prospects, whilst also strengthening their sense of European citizenship.

​Actions should
1. assess to what extent demand exists among relevant stakeholders for developing long-term (minimum 6 to maximum 12 months) transnational apprentice mobility schemes, and the uptake of such schemes;
2. identify obstacles (legal, practical, institutional, academic, etc.) that prevent apprentices from carrying out longer-term stays abroad;
3. identify and disseminate good practices and success factors for long-term work placements for apprentices.

Types of activities
Projects should implement the following activities.
1. Identify the candidates for placements and ensure appropriate matching of their profiles to the labour demand needs of the host companies (ensuring that the candidates possess a suitable knowledge of the host country language or receive adequate linguistic support prior to and during the mobility experience.
2. Organise induction/welcome sessions, pre-mobility training and language courses.
3. Design and develop detailed learning agreements for the work placements of the apprentices, including relevant curricular content with clear learning outcomes, specifying the formal recognition provisions and listing clearly the rights and obligations of each party.
4. Organise the travel and accommodation of the selected apprentices, and bear the associated costs, i.e. outward and return travel from/to their place of origin, suitable accommodation and living costs during the mobility experience.
5. Put in place specific activities to facilitate youth integration in the host location thus fostering a sense of European citizenship among the apprentices.
6. Ensure that enterprises are ready to host and train the apprentices for the entire duration of their stay, ideally appointing a mentor for each apprentice.
7. Carry out a thorough assessment and evaluation at different stages of the placement experience, allowing for the identification of success and enabling factors to: 
– ensure the participation of companies, in particular SMEs, and apprentices in long-term mobility placements;
– integrate long-term mobility experiences in another EU Member State into national apprenticeship curricula;
– ensure validation and recognition of the learning outcomes acquired through the mobility experience;
– overcome obstacles to long-term mobility of apprentices across EU borders.
8. Develop and test models for long-term exchanges of apprentices in enterprises.
9. Carry out a regular evaluation of all aspects of the apprentices’ stay abroad (including: preparation, integration, relevance of the training and skills acquired, sense of European citizenship, foreign language development, quality of the teaching and learning environment including testimonies by the apprentices themselves) and foresee feedback mechanisms to the Commission.
10. Identify the various types of public support for apprentice mobility in Europe and suggest possible avenues for optimising such support.
11. Develop and implement a communication and awareness raising plan focusing on the benefits of long-term apprentice mobility. The plan should be tailored to the interests and needs of the relevant labour market and VET stakeholders.
The activities 1, 3, 4, and 6 are considered core activities and may not be subcontracted.

​Target group of the mobility experiences
– Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners who have the status of apprentice and are at least 17 years old at the time of departure abroad;
– Vocational Education and Training (VET) whose graduation from an apprenticeship has taken place within the last 12 months prior to the signature of the grant agreement.

​Status of apprentices during the mobility 
Participants will be subject to an apprenticeship agreement of the host country giving the participant employee or employed apprentice status (ideally remunerated). 
In the absence of this type of contract, the participants will be covered by the rules governing the relevant apprenticeship programme of the host country.

Recognition of the learning outcomes of the mobility experience
Organisations in the consortia should determine, through appropriate assessment, documentation and validation, to what extent the agreed learning outcomes have been achieved by participants and ensure that these are appropriately recognised.
Organisations may decide to apply the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) in the framework of their mobility activities. In these cases, a precondition for using ECVET is the setting up of an ECVET partnership. This partnership needs to bring together the competent organisations involved in: 
(1) identifying the suitable learning outcomes during mobility activities; 
(2) delivering VET programmes that are apt to satisfying these needs; 
(3) assessing the extent to which learning outcomes have been achieved by learners; 
(4) validating and recognising learners’ credits on their return to the home institution.

The partnership for ECVET mobility activities can be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), an agreement between competent organisations which sets the framework for credit transfer.
MoUs can be developed by networks of competent organisation/institutions from several countries/systems, but they can also be bilateral, depending on the partnership needs and ambitions. 
For more information and guidance on the establishment of a MoU, please have a look at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/vocational-policy/ecvet_en.htm and http://www.ecvet-secretariat.eu

Eligible applicants
Lead applicant, co-applicant(s) and affiliated entities, must be public or private organisations active in the field of VET, properly established and registered in EU Member States.
Organisations planning to organise mobility activities for VET learners (including apprentices) must organise their activities in line with the principles and criteria set out in the European Quality Charter for Mobility, which provides guidance on mobility arrangements for learning or other purposes, such as professional betterment, to both young learners and staff. 
Applicants which hold the Erasmus+ VET Mobility Charter will be considered as having the operational capacity required for the proposed action.
Applicants that are not holders of the Erasmus+ VET Mobility Charter must prove their track record of competence and experience in the field of mobility of VET learners.

​Consortia
To be eligible, actions must have the involvement of at least two applicants (lead and co-applicants) established in at least two different EU Member States.
At least one of these organisations is a sending organisation and at least one is a receiving organisation that will provide the work experience. 
The sending and the receiving organisations must be in different Member States to ensure the transnational nature of the action.
The proposal may also involve so-called “associate organisations” from the public or private sector that contribute to the implementation of specific project activities or support the dissemination and sustainability of the project. Associate organisations are not considered as members of the consortium and they do not receive funding.  

​Eligible activities
Actions must be fully carried out in EU Member States.
The indicative duration of the project is 18 months.

Budget
The requested EU grants are expected to be between EUR 300.000 and EUR 500.000.
The EU grant may not exceed 85% of the total eligible costs of the action.

Deadline: 29 March 2017.

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