MEAG is actively involved in a number of Erasmus+ projects in the field of Vocational Education & Training.

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad. Set to last until 2020, Erasmus+ doesn't just have opportunities for students. Merging seven prior programmes, it has opportunities for a wide variety of individuals and organisations.

Organisations who participate in Erasmus+ may engage in a number of development and networking activities, including strategic improvement of the professional skills of their staff, organisational capacity building, and creating transnational cooperative partnerships with organisations from other countries in order to produce innovative outputs or exchange best practices.

In addition, organisations facilitate the learning mobility opportunities for students, education staff, trainees, apprentices, volunteers, youth workers and young people.

The benefits for involved organisations include an increased capacity to operate at an international level, improved management methods, access to more funding opportunities and projects, increased ability to prepare, manage, and follow-up projects, as well as a more attractive portfolio of opportunities for learners and staff at participating organisations.

The aim of Erasmus+ is to contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion, as well as the aims of ET2020, the EU's strategic framework for education and training.

Erasmus+ also aims to promote the sustainable development of its partners in the field of higher education, and contribute to achieving the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy.

Specific issues tackled by the programme include:

• Reducing unemployment, especially among young people

• Promoting adult learning, especially for new skills and skills required by the labour market.

• Encouraging young people to take part in European democracy

• Supporting innovation, cooperation and reform

• Reducing early school leaving

• Promoting cooperation and mobility with the EU's partner countries