LLP/ ERASMUS PROGRAMMES

LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME (LLP)

European Union Education and Youth programmes have entered a new period as of 1^th January, 2007. Lifelong Learning Programme and Youth in Action programmes which cover a period of seven years until the end of 2013 will be carried out with the participation of EU member countries, EFTA countries (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) and candidate countries (Turkey). Furthermore West Balkan countries and Switzerland are envisaged to participate in the programme in the forthcoming years.

Our country has been participating to the European Union Education and Youth Programmes as ‘full member” as of 1^th  April 2004. In the first period in which there were increasing interest and demand and which ended on 31 ^th  December, 2006, a budget of 67 million euros including both the pre-accession EU funds and the national contributions was set within the framework of Socrates (General Education), Leonardo da Vinci (Vocational Training) and Youth in Action programmes and this was awarded as grant to the education and youth sectors of our country. The rate of funding reached to a level of approximately 100%. In the first three years in which the programmes were implemented, a total of 3.035 projects were found worth for funding. Approximately 40.000 Turkish citizens participated in the exchanges and placements aimed at improving information and experience within the framework of both programmes and their individual efforts and they contributed to an important extent to bringing in innovative approaches to our country.

 Lifelong Learning Programme, which gathers all sub programmes and activities related to education as well as general and vocational education with an integrated approach under one single programme is of great importance due to its new rules, facilities and increase in its country-oriented activities. The Decision no.1720/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 legitimatising the LLP defines the general objective of the Lifelong Learning Programme as follows: “to contribute through lifelong learning to the development of the Community as an advanced knowledge-based society, with sustainable economic development, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, while ensuring good protection of the environment for future generations. In particular, it aims to foster interchange, cooperation and mobility between education and training systems within the Community so that they become a world quality reference.”

It is apparent that these objectives match up with the education and training objectives of our country. Thus our country will take part in the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) starting on 1 January 2007 again as a“full member”. Furthermore in this new period, the budget of the programmes is planned to be increased at a rate of appromixately 70% in 2007-2013 budget period in order to meet the increasing demand coming form all of the institutions and organizations engaged in education in our country.

Lifelong learning programme will make financial contributions and offer development facilities in education and training for everyone from the students in primary and secondary education to adults, from the trainees of vocational training to the university students, from the people in need of basic skill to the professionals. The chart below gives just brief information about the programmes. For detailed and updated information about the target groups, calls, application conditions and dates, project quality assessment criteria and grant amounts of both each of the sectoral programmes and the sub activities involved in these sectoral programmes please follow the web page of the Center for European Union Education and Youth Programmes (www.ua.gov.tr).  
 

For detailed information about Erasmus Programme please visit:

• http://ec.europa.eu/education/index_en.html
• http://www.ua.gov.tr