THE total amount of Erasmus+ funding awarded to Northern Ireland’s educational, training and youth work organisations since 2014 has risen to more than €38 million (£34m), new figures show.
The money has been granted to 283 projects led by organisations in the higher and adult education, schools, youth, and vocational education and training sectors in Northern Ireland.
The bulk (€14.3m) has gone to organisations working in vocational education and training, while €12.6m went to universities, €4.7m to schools, €4.1m to youth work organisations and €2.2m to organisations working in adult education
The figures - released by the British Council and Ecorys, the agency delivering the European Union scheme in the UK - show that a record-breaking €10.1 million was awarded to Northern Ireland organisations in 2018 – a rise of £1.2 million from 2017.
And this is like to increase in 2019 with €187 million reserved for UK schools, colleges, universities and youth organisations – an increase from €170 million this year.
As well as opportunities for young people, Erasmus+ enables UK teachers, academics, youth workers and education staff to teach or train abroad, and to work with international partners to drive innovation and excellence in education and youth work.
Jonathan Stewart, director of the British Council Northern Ireland said: “Erasmus+ will enable around 250,000 young people from the UK to explore new countries and cultures, develop new skills and boost their employability.
“This year, €187 million will be available to the UK, so that more young people benefit from international experiences. This will help organisations to form partnerships across Europe and beyond, internationalise education, training and youth work and address common issues such as youth unemployment and social integration.”
