A valuable experience lost
Judging from most of the commentary and letters in the Shropshire Star, it is clear that the EU is seen as the cause of many of our woes.
So I would just like to remind readers of one very valuable EU programme that will probably not survive the trauma of Brexit.
Erasmus+ is the largest ever provider of opportunities for British students to study in Europe and beyond. It responds to the call from British companies for more talent with international experience, intercultural awareness and language skills.
It spans education, training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for British participants to study, work, volunteer, teach and train in other countries. It covers school education, further and higher education, adult education and the youth sector.
As well as 18,000 university students studying languages, every year Erasmus+ funds 10,000 British vocational education and training students to get foreign work placements directly linked to their vocational qualifications, and enables 7,500 young people, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, to acquire volunteering experience abroad.
International experiences like Erasmus+ placements lead not only to the development of a more ‘global outlook’ among participants, but also to the improvement of key skills desired by UK employers. This includes the development of leadership and teamwork skills, enhanced language abilities, and increased capabilities in areas like critical thinking.
There is good evidence that students who have taken part in Erasmus+ benefit from better job prospects and lower unemployment. They are 50% less likely to experience long-term unemployment than those who have not participated, and 3 years after the end of their stay abroad, those on vocational education and training placements have a higher employment rate (81% vs 68%).
The scheme appears to benefit participants in the long term too. Five to ten years after graduation, significantly more Erasmus+ alumni than non-mobile alumni hold a management position.
As well as equipping participants with the skills they need, programmes that facilitate mobility in both directions, like Erasmus+, also contribute to the long term influence of the UK by building trust. By studying or working in the UK, students coming from overseas learn about the UK and build connections that last long after they return home.
This in turn is associated with an increased interest in doing business with the UK, visiting the UK as a tourist and sending their own family to study in the UK.
It is clear that Erasmus+ has delivered enormous benefits to individuals and businesses in the UK over the past decades and should not, therefore, be wilfully discarded as a result of Brexit. That really would be throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Robert Monro, Whitchurch