Periods abroad in training
New service portal provides young people with information about foreign placements
The new service portal MeinAuslandspraktikum.de ("My foreign placement") from the National Agency at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (NA at BIBB) brings together all of the offers in the area of "practical learning experience abroad". It also has a database providing an overview of as well as access to funding opportunities and a placement search for scholarships funded by the European education programme Erasmus+. Trainees receive important tips and support on planning their own period abroad. These range from "insurance and safety" and questions about accommodation through to language skills required – and they can also receive individual advice.
With the new service offer, NA at BIBB is contributing to the goal set by policymakers and business to increase numbers of trainees with experience abroad over the coming years. The committee of enquiry for "Vocational education and training in the digital world of work" appointed by the German Federal Parliament in 2018 recently suggested increasing the rate of trainees with practical experience abroad to 20 percent by 2030. Of those finishing the final year training in 2019, more than 7 percent of all trainees completed part of their training abroad.
"The new offer from MeinAuslandspraktikum aims to provide independent, free and comprehensive information and advice on all the options relating to periods abroad in vocational education and training," explains BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser. "The new portal includes an overview of the major funding programmes – the European Union's Erasmus+ and 'AusbildungWeltweit' (VET Worldwide) from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research – and offers guidance on what to look out for on a period abroad during vocational education and training."
All information is available right away and from a single source for young people and young adults on the website, and they are able to follow the latest news via Instagram and YouTube.