Accreditation number: 2017-1-IT02-KA108-036288
Since 2014, the University of Foggia has been promoting and coordinating an Erasmus Mobility Consortium in partnership with:
The strong cooperation with the consortium partner universities enables around 75 students per year (from the three study cycles and from numerous different degree programmes) to undertake a highly specialised training period abroad, lasting two to three months.
Academic cooperation among the Partners began in the early 2000s, thanks to the funding obtained by the University of Foggia following the projects submitted and selected for funding within the Leonardo da Vinci/People in the Labour Market programme (UNIENTOGETHER and SOUTH projects). These were aimed at recent graduates from the Consortium's Universities, who wished to carry out a training period abroad.
In more recent years, the Lifelong Learning Programme first (years 2007-2013) and Erasmus+ later (from 2014 to 2020 and from 2021 to 2027) have given an increasing number of students (not only recent graduates!) the opportunity to undertake a period of training in Europe for greater and better inclusion in society and the future world of work.
The EXPLORE (Experiencing Placements Over Europe) and RISE! (Reinforcing International Student Empowerment) Consortia were accredited and financed, respectively, within the Lifelong Learning and Erasmus+ programmes. They promote the exchange and sharing of ideas among partners - including international ones, as well as initiatives and actions to improve their services (internship and work placement desks in Italy and abroad, language certification, databases, etc.) in favour of students' professional career.
The most important objective of the Erasmus+ Consortium is to enable beneficiaries to acquire a cultural and training background that can be used in the labour market, gained through international traineeship experiences.
In the territories of Apulia and Molise, there is a need to encourage the training of professionals able to intervene in the economic development of the regions, for example through new entrepreneurial initiatives and/or innovative work methodologies. The reform and modernisation of the economic fabric of the regions involved is only possible if high levels of cohesion are promoted, networks are strengthened and services are built that are increasingly integrated and aimed at international openness. With this in mind, the universities of the Consortium, together with local institutions, must intervene in order to offer young people the tools needed to strengthen cultural dialogue and cooperation, trade and economic activity, as well as innovation.
All students selected by the Consortium have the same opportunities and support before, during and after the mobility experience in terms of information, motivation, language preparation, tutoring, validation and recognition of the traineeship, for it to be a successful experience.
Participants are supported during all phases of the traineeship. Before the start of the mobility period, adequate language preparation is ensured through the OLS platform.
Drawing up a training project in line with each beneficiary's personal aspirations and academic background is crucial for the success of a traineeship abroad. After the start of the traineeship, monitoring procedures are put in place to assess the relevance of the activities carried out by the beneficiary, the training project and the achievement of transversal skills.
The Consortium's strength lies not only in the fruitful synergy and cooperation between the Universities of Apulia and Molise, but also in the network of bodies/enterprises/companies/organisations abroad that have been cooperating with the Consortium for years, committing themselves to guaranteeing qualified traineeships.
The University of Foggia coordinates the activities related to the financial management and reporting of mobility in Mtool.
The University of Foggia prepares and uses questionnaires and Erasmus+ Surveys to:
- analytically measure the perspectives and degree of satisfaction of all project participants;
- identify strengths and weaknesses throughout the project life cycle.
The Consortium's partner universities each determine the selection criteria for their candidates, take care of the promotion and the selection call itself and assign the location by identifying the traineeship most suited to the needs of their beneficiaries.
All the Consortium Universities carefully inform their beneficiaries on the organisation of the project activities.
Each partner coordinates with the University of Foggia on the management of the activities needed for the success of the project in terms of traineeships carried out.
Each partner is asked to disseminate the Consortium's initiatives, first, and results, later, involving all available communication channels: website, institutional channels, newspapers and local networks; information days with representatives of local authorities, and with the Erasmus Plus National Agency - Indire.
The traineeships offered in recent years within the Consortium are aimed at:
- encouraging the combination of knowledge and know-how;
- enriching the beneficiary with innovative working methodologies and thus making their curriculum more competitive;
- enabling the transfer of knowledge in their home territory in order to promote the development of the regional economy;
- enabling the recognition of the skills acquired and of the training period through the validation of the activity carried out abroad, in hours and credits, upon provision of clear and transparent documents such as the Learning Agreement Before and After the Mobility and the Transcript of Work;
- ensuring continuity and dissemination of results by involving territorial bodies/organisations, with the aim of facilitating and optimising the future employability of trainees.
The trainees:
- develop new working methodologies;
- feel more confident in the use of innovative management procedures;
- are able to manage their work more autonomously;
- are more prone to work in multicultural environments and to accept challenges;
- show a marked propensity for problem solving