Wales & Scotland seek to retain benefits of Erasmus

The Scottish and Welsh Governments have issued a joint statement on the Erasmus+ exchange programme saying that they will explore how both countries can continue to enjoy the benefits offered by the programme.

The statement, agreed by Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead and Welsh Minister for Education Kirsty Williams, says the UK Government’s decision not to associate with Erasmus will reduce opportunities for all learners and cut support for the most deprived communities. 

The statement says Scottish and Welsh Governments are united in its view that participation in Erasmus+ is in the best interests for the whole of the UK. 

It says the UK Government’s decision to not continue with the programme will see support for the most deprived communities cut, and opportunities for all learners reduced.

It says In Scotland, proportionally more participants have gone abroad through Erasmus+ than from anywhere else in the UK, while proportionally more visitors from the rest of Europe have visited Scotland in return. 

Schools in Wales have led the UK in winning Erasmus+ funding for strategic partnership projects on innovative topics such as green energy, artificial intelligence, and promoting inclusivity in the classroom.

The statement says: “The UK Government’s proposed alternative, by comparison, is a lesser imitation of the real thing. The Turing Scheme, funded at £105 million for one year, pales in comparison  to Erasmus+, which has now had its budget for the next seven years increased to €26.2 billion. Turing will offer no funding to the international partners that are needed to allow mobilities to take place unlike Erasmus+, where both parties are awarded funding to facilitate the exchange of learners from one country to another. “

The statement continues: “It is all the more unacceptable then that the UK Government is looking to impose this inadequate scheme upon Scotland and Wales through new legislation that overrides the devolved nature of education. We have been clear that what they are proposing is simply not good enough, and that instead any replacement funding for Erasmus+ should be given in the first instance to the Scottish and Welsh Governments, to allow us to exercise our right to deliver educational services within our respective nations.

We will carry on making these arguments, and continue to advocate for those sectors who once enjoyed the benefits of Erasmus+, and who have been abandoned by the UK Government.”