About the Programme

Lifelong Learning Programme

The European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme aims to contribute through lifelong learning to the development of the European Community as an advanced knowledge society, with sustainable economic development, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It aims to foster interaction, cooperation and mobility between education and training systems within the Community, so that they become a world quality reference. The LLP provides funding for all stages of lifelong learning; for activities at school, at college, at university, in the workplace and in the community.

The European Commission has set ambitious targets for the four principal sectoral programmes, in order to ensure a significant, identifiable and measurable impact for the Lifelong Learning Programme. These targets are as follows:

• For Comenius:
  To involve at least three million pupils in joint educational activities, over the period of the programme;
• For Erasmus:
  To contribute to the achievement by 2012 of three million individual participants in student mobility under the present programme and its predecessors;
• For Leonardo da Vinci:
  To increase placements in enterprises to 80,000 per year by the end of the programme;
• For Grundtvig:
  To support the mobility of 7,000 individuals involved in adult education per year, by 2013.

  For more information on the Lifelong Learning Programme please visit the European Commission's website at http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/index_en.html

Comenius

Comenius provides funding for project-based partnerships, in-service opportunities for education staff and the opportunity to host assistants for all levels of school and further education; assistantships are also available for HE students in schools across Europe.

eTwinning

eTwinning is an integral strand of Comenius and offers a more informal approach to curriculum based projects using ICT. eTwinning can be used as a tool to begin experiencing the European dimension by creating exciting and innovative ICT based projects. It can be used by schools currently involved in Comenius to enhance the ICT skills of pupils and teachers.

Leonardo

Leonardo supports the development of skills and training. It funds work placements for trainees, workers and staff, and supports European partnership projects to improve quality in training.

Erasmus

Erasmus is the European Commission's flagship educational programme for Higher Education students, teachers and institutions. It encourages student and staff mobility for work and study, and promotes trans-national cooperation projects. Nine out of every ten European higher education establishments participate in Erasmus.

Grundtvig

Grundtvig is a passport to partnerships and training opportunities for adult education organisations, teachers and learners. Adult educators can be involved in structured courses, conferences and even job shadowing. Organisations can be part of exciting partnerships and projects to share innovation and good practice in adult learning.

Transversal

Transversal supports education and training organisations in the areas of policy, languages, ICT and dissemination. A programme of Study Visits gives UK learning professionals the chance to exchange expertise in education with their European colleagues.

Youth in Action

Youth in Action does not form part of the LLP but may be of additional interest.

YiA is targeted at young people (13 to 30 years olds) and youth organisations. The aim is to provide informal learning opportunities for young people by financing Youth Exchanges, Youth Initiatives, Youth Democracy Projects and also the opportunity to work abroad as a volunteer using the European Voluntary Service scheme. The Programme also facilitates training and networking activities for youth workers and those working in the youth field.