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ERASMUS

Minister praises Erasmus ‘success story’

A revamped version of European student exchange programme Erasmus officially launched in Berlin on Thursday with Germany's education minister praising the scheme as a Europe-wide “success story”.

Published: 24 April 2014 11:38 CEST
Minister praises Erasmus 'success story'
Photo: DPA

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Education Minister Johanna Wanka said ahead of the Erasmus+ launch that the new version of the scheme, which has absorbed other exchange programmes including Leonardo da Vinci and Comenius, would further build a bridge between professions and countries.

Leonardo da Vinci offered trainee programmes, while Comenius was open to school children. They will all now be part of Erasmus+.

The scheme offers financial support to young people wishing to study, or work, abroad. Erasmus+ will receive €15 billion by 2020 in EU money – an increase of 40 percent on the old model.

Wanka said that being able to offer young people better financial support would “avoid young unemployment and give the youth of Europe prospects”.

She added that she wanted everyone to be able to have the chance to take part. “Erasmus+ stands for an open and tolerant Europe where people can learn together,” she said.

In Germany, the government estimates that 275,000 students and 150,000 trainees will benefit from internships and connections made while taking part in Erasmus+.

Youth Minister Manuela Schwesig, EU Commissioner for Education and Culture Androulla Vassiliou and President of the Conference of Ministers of Education Sylvia Löhrmann were also at the launch.

“Our goal is to get as many young people as possible in involved in cross-border exchanges,” Löhrmann said. “European cooperation projects not only strengthen peoples' abilities in foreign languages but also make them more competent at moving between cultures.”

SEE ALSO: Is Erasmus really worth its budget boost?

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STUDY

Spanish grandpa, 80, heading to Italy as Erasmus student

One of the world's oldest Erasmus students has picked Italy for his study-abroad semester, thanks to his memories of seeing opera here 40 years ago.

Published: 15 February 2018 13:55 CET
Spanish grandpa, 80, heading to Italy as Erasmus student
Miguel Castillo being interviewed for Antena 3 Noticias.

Miguel Castillo, 80, will leave his native Spain on Monday to head to the University of Verona, where he won an Erasmus grant to pursue his studies in modern history.

“I opted for Verona in Italy because I was there 42 years ago to see Maria Callas perform,” the grandfather of six told Spanish newspaper Las Provincias.

Castillo returned to academia a few years ago after a career as a notary. He was a few years into a more typical retirement when he suffered a heart attack at the age of 75, prompting him to rethink how he wanted to spend the remainder of his days.

“On the road to recovery I told myself, 'I would like to do something beyond the classic napping’,” he explained.

So he enrolled for a degree in modern history at Valencia University and each day attends classes with students who are a quarter of his age.

Determined to make the most of his university years, Castillo applied for the EU's student exchange programme, which each year sends hundreds of thousands of students to other universities across Europe for anywhere between three months to a year at a time. 

He hasn't signed up for the full student experience in Verona, though: he won't be staying in a college dorm. 

“My wife is coming with me and we will stay in a hotel for a while and then move into an apartment,” he explained. “My wife says that she doesn’t see us at a pyjama party.”

With one of the world's oldest populations, Italy is becoming accustomed to seeing older faces in all walks of life, even those once reserved for youngsters. 

In 2016, it sent one of its own senior citizens – Laura Peccara, 61 years old at the time – to Spain, for a six-month Erasmus exchange in Madrid. 

“I was talking to my son about university and Erasmus when I had a lightbulb moment: wouldn't it be great to have an experience that didn't exist in my day,” Peccara told Italian magazine Donna Moderna upon her return. 

As Peccara learned, there is no age limit to the Erasmus programme – so any mature students who are interested should apply. As Castillo says to others his age: “Don’t lock yourself up at home, open up to the world, because we can contribute so much and can also receive a lot from society.”