Europass Mobility

Europass mobility encourages  the acknowledgement  of vocational  experience abroad

Definition and objectives of Europass Mobility

Europass mobility is a standard document in use throughout Europe which formally records details of the skills and competences acquired by an individual- of whatever age, educational level and occupation status-during a period of mobility in another European country (European Union/EFTA/EEA and candidate countries)

The mobility experience is monitored by two partner organisations, the first in the country of origin and the second in the host country. Both partners agree on the purpose, content and duration of the experience; a mentor is identified in the host country. The partners may be universities, schools, training centres, companies, NGOs, etc

Europass Mobility aims to:

• promote European mobility for learning purposes, by making its results more visible;
• boost transparency and visibility of European mobility experiences helping holders to show better what they have gained through this experience , particularly in knowledge, skills and  competencies;
• encourage recognition of experiences gained abroad.

The Europass Mobility records all essential data: about the sending partner (which is – the organisation responsible for the mobility experience in the country of origin of the individual who wishes to gather experience abroad), the host partner (which is – the organisation hosting the individual), the individual undergoing the mobility experience, as well as about the skills and competences acquired during the mobility experience.

Europass Mobility is a tool that makes it possible to document the competences and skills acquired by an individual during a mobility experience abroad (European Economic Area or Candidate Countries) as a result of learning processes, both formal (education and training courses) and non-formal (work, voluntary work, etc.).
It’s  the evolution of the Europass Training booklet (introduced under the Decision of the Council of 21 December 1998 (1999/51/EC) ), to encourage lifelong training and the mobility of individuals between different jobs, sectors and countries.

The learning processes which can be documented using Europass Mobility .It can take place within the framework of any national and European programme of initiatives in the field of education and training. Europass Mobility is aimed at everyone, regardless of age, qualifications and professional status.

This experience should satisfy all the following criteria:

• the period in another country takes place  within the framework of a learning  initiative based in the country of origin of the person that follows it
• the organisation responsible  for the learning initiative  in the country of origin (sending  partner) stipulates to the host partner  and submit  to the National Europass Centre (NEC) in the country of origin , a written agreement on the content , objectives and duration  of the European learning pathway.
• each of the countries involved must be a Member State of the European Union or an EFTA/EEA country.

Portofolio Europass includes:

• The Europass CV: it is a formulary set up at European level that permits a    chronological, systematic and dynamic presentation of individual’s education,  his qualifications and competences. It provides a transparent record of  information about the person, his language skills, work experience, completed  education and additional skills acquired outside the official education and  training system.
  The Europass CV also places special emphasis on non-formal and informal knowledge: it foresees special sections for detailing social, organisational, technical, computer and artistic skills and competences. The recording of these, at first sight, “invisible” and “unserious” skills and competences, gives a comprehensive overview of an individual’s abilities.
• The Diploma Supplement was created jointly by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and Unesco, for use by higher education institutions throughout Europe and elsewhere to complement the degrees they award.
• The Europass Language Passport is part of the European Language Portfolio, developed by the Council of Europe, in which citizens can record their language skills on the basis of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
• The Europass Mobility, replaces the Europass Training established by the Decision 1999/51/EC of the Council and which became available in 2000. The Europass Training was a document recording work placement experiences abroad, as part of an education or training initiative. The Europass Mobility has a wider scope, as it can also record experiences other than placements, for instance academic periods abroad.

The National Europass Centres

In every country (European Union and European Economic Area), a National Europass Centre coordinates all activities related to the Europass documents. It is the first point of contact for any person or organisation interested in using or learning more about Europass.

Main functions:

• coordinate the management of Europass documents;
• promote Europass and Europass documents;
• ensure that information and guidance centres are well informed about Europass and the Europass documents;
• ensure that all Europass documents are also available in paper versions;
• act as a national partner in the European network of National Europass Centres.