There are three main schemes offered by the Leonardo programme; these are:
- Mobility Projects, directed at organisations, not individuals. Generally speaking they are allocated to staff to help them gain more experience abroad, whilst working at the same organisation back home. To find out more, see the Leonardo programme’s page on Mobility Projects.
- Partnerships (small scale cooperations) allow partners to meet and share practice, discuss problems and compare solutions related to a particular topic linked to VET. You can share ideas with similar organisations in the EU thanks to the grant supplied. To find out more, check out the Leonardo programme’s page on Partnerships.
- Transfer of Innovation, which allows multilateral cooperation projects aimed at transferring best practice and innovation in vocational education and training (VET) across Europe. Partners can create new material and new projects to target new countries, groups and sectors. This award is for organisations, not individuals. To find out more, see the Leonardo programme’s page on Transfer of Innovation.
As a student, you will have to look for a partner to be able to apply for the Leonardo programme. You can start by speaking to your university’s Year Abroad officer as well as the International Office to see what past students have done over their year abroad. The Leonardo programme’s site also has a list of participating partners for you to take a look at, find out more here.
To apply for grants and each project, make sure you check the set deadlines, for entrants in 2012 these are all scheduled for February 2012. For more information, see here.
If you would like to find out more about the Leonardo programme and see which option best suits you, speak to your year abroad coordinator or get in touch with the Leonardo programme’s offices directly, where you’ll find someone happy to help.
