Abstract:

One of the main goals of European programmes – Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps is the development of competences of learners of all ages and backgrounds: pupils, teachers, students, academics, professionals and youth workers through participation in international mobility, as well as through implementation of innovative, inter-institutional transnational cooperation projects and strategic partnerships.
In this paper the authors re-analyse their own research findings from five different studies carried out between 2020-2022 to find out which activities within Erasmus+ Programme and European Solidarity Corps contribute to the development of competences 4.0. They are defined as: digital, managerial, cognitive and social competences.
The competences 4.0, according to various typologies, can be grouped in four categories. The first one – digital competence – consists of the use of technology on different levels of advancement, ability to solve problems with use of digital tools, knowledge about privacy and cyber security issues. The second one – managerial competence – has two dimensions: leading of a team and cooperation with other people. The third one – cognitive competence – is related to different ways of thinking, including processing and verifying information, creativity and critical thinking. Finally, the fourth category – social and emotional competence is related to all sorts of interactions with other people and coping with one’s emotions as well as to the ability to work in a group, leadership and entrepreneurship.
The studies to be taken into consideration when analysing the development of the above-mentioned competences 4.0 are the following:
1. Networked teachers (2021) – the first eTwinning user survey that was carried out at a specific time: the COVID-19 pandemic, just after the end of the 2019/2020 school year, focusing on digital competence development;
2. Tracer study of university graduates (2022) – study on educational and professional paths of Erasmus+ programme participants, analysing graduates’ career choices, the process of obtaining their first job as well as their further education – continuation of studies and engagement in non-formal education and informal learning, with a special stress on competence development through long-term learning mobility;
3. Competences 4.0 as facilitators in the realisation, management and sustainability of Erasmus+ project leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic (2021) – first complex study analysing the development of competences 4.0 among Erasmus+ project leaders;
4. Research-based analysis and monitoring of Erasmus+ Youth (2020) – the biggest European study on the influence of transnational research mobility following the principles of non-formal education on young people and their competence development;
5. International volunteers in Polish schools and kindergartens(2020) – the study on long-term volunteering projects hosted by schools and kindergartens and on volunteer’s motivation and learning in these activities.
Despite different motivations for participation in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps activities and diverse project types it might be concluded that, very often, the influence on project participants and project leaders is comparable, especially when it comes to learning and competence development. International learning mobility might therefore be considered as one of the settings where competences 4.0, especially the social and cognitive ones can be developed.

Keywords:

Competences 4.0, Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, learning mobility.