Dear Editor,
I was really pleased to hear that the government has decided the UK should participate in the educational Erasmus Plus project starting next year, 2027, and I hope it means that many students will take up the exceptional opportunities that the programme offers for study and travel abroad.
This is especially true, knowing the initiative is primarily aimed at students from less wealthy backgrounds and offers guarantees of funding.
This was not the case in the past, when it was not always made clear to students or parents, so I hope that this important information will be promoted more effectively in future.
Of course, there are those detractors who will point to the Turing Scheme, set up a few years ago, which we were told would be more beneficial than Erasmus.
True, it certainly offers more international travel, but the funding level is considerably lower, making it less effective for those students who would most appreciate the chance to study overseas; it's also the case that Turing provides fewer inward opportunities for UK universities to enjoy.
I was never able to take part in the original Erasmus scheme myself, but I was fortunate to work for companies that operated across different borders, so I do know first-hand the benefits of working abroad.
Despite having only the most minimal language skills, I was able to visit many different countries and participate in their culture; this helped me to broaden my horizons and advance my skill set in many ways not immediately obvious.
So, can I suggest to parents with older teenagers that you should discuss the prospect of taking part in their higher studies abroad via Erasmus from next year?
With finding jobs ever more difficult, anything that makes the individual stand out has to be advantageous, and the wealth of experience that the young people gain overseas will last a lifetime as well as improve their career prospects in all sorts of interesting ways.
Regards,
Tony Sutcliffe
Taunton
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