Abstract:

The researchers analyzed the influence of educational mobility programmes on the improvement of skills and competence among students. The quality of being mobile is an asset which can increase competitiveness on the constantly changing job market. The EU's new Erasmus+ programme offers financial support for educational and training institutions, as well as the young people and sport in Europe in general. The programme, which puts international mobility at its centre, is aimed at creating educational opportunities across Europe more available to students who want to pursue their studies or apprenticeship endeavours abroad. By doing so, the programme guarantees its beneficiaries increased competence and language skills as well as social and interpersonal development. Another important aspect of the programme is knowledge exchange between different academic centres. The study was conducted among those students who took advantage of the Erasmus+ programme, and had the opportunity to spend one semester abroad studying or doing their job apprenticeship. The majority of students remarked that they had made the decision following a meeting with the Erasmus+ co-ordinator at the university department. Apart from such meetings, those interested in studying abroad also found information from other sources. Factors that helped students make the decision to study abroad within the Erasmus+ programme were: better chances of getting a job in the future, possible future professional co-operation with new partners abroad, and increasing foreign language competence. The following factors were deemed by students to be negative: learning subject-specific foreign vocabulary, getting credits for subjects different from the home syllabus, overcoming cultural differences, and not being able to fulfil home commitments while abroad. The students also considered working in Bydgoszcz in the future. The city is the home for a few branches of international corporations. One example is Atos, which employs the UST graduates.

Keywords:

The Erasmus+ Programme, student mobility, competence, skills, international student exchange.