VET students/apprentices and adult education staff can already take part in various mobility activities. However, if Switzerland were to become an associate member of Erasmus+ – as the Federal Council intends for 2027 – they would participate in the Erasmus+ programme directly and on an equal footing with all other participants from Erasmus+ member states. The funding and participation opportunities under Erasmus+ in the area of mobilities are similar to those under the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. The following sections provide an insight into the similarities and differences and describe the funding opportunities.

Should Switzerland become associated to the Erasmus+ programme in 2027, this would mean:

• Swiss adult education institutions would, in principle, have access to all relevant Erasmus+ actions, i.e. on an equal footing with institutions from EU Member States and other Erasmus+ countries. These opportunities differ in some respects from the current Swiss solution.
• To date, Switzerland has funded mobilities from Switzerland to other countries (outgoing) and from other countries to Switzerland (incoming). Under Erasmus+, each National Agency funds its own outgoing mobilities. Incoming activities previously funded by Switzerland would have to be applied for by the partner institution in its own country (with the exception of Invited Experts).
• No mobilities outside Europe would be possible.
• Adult VET students/apprentices can receive financial support for a stay abroad.
• From an Erasmus+ perspective, Switzerland is no longer considered a third country, meaning that European partner countries could carry out projects with Switzerland without restriction.
• Applications would be submitted via the EU Tools.
• As the project coordinator, you would receive funding directly from the Erasmus+ programme.
• Only the rules and policy priorities of the Erasmus+ programme would apply. 

Trotz einiger Unterschiede zur aktuellen Schweizer Lösung wären grundsätzlich ähnliche Aktivitäten unter Erasmus+ förderfähig. Deshalb können Sie bereits jetzt Ihr Projekt initiieren. Wir empfehlen, in zwei Szenarien zu denken. Überlegen Sie sich, wie Ihr Projekt sowohl unter Erasmus+ als auch der aktuellen Schweizer Lösung durchgeführt werden könnte mit den jeweiligen Budgetrahmen, Partneranforderungen und Risiken.

Erasmus+ promotes learning mobility for individuals across various sectors of education, including adult education. These mobilities are designed to enable adult education institutions to deepen their international cooperation, connect their VET students/apprentices and staff across borders, develop innovative approaches and play an active role in shaping the European Education Area. Participants expand their personal, professional and language skills, thereby enhancing their qualifications and employability. Mobility schemes contribute to the Erasmus+ programme objectives by promoting quality in adult education, driving forward innovation and digitalisation, strengthening social inclusion and helping to address societal challenges. Through their transnational nature, these mobilities create clear European added value / additional benefit for the individuals involved and enable a sustainable impact at institutional level, even beyond individual projects.

Participants from Switzerland can undertake stays abroad in the following countries:

EU Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus

Third countries associated with Erasmus+: Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, United Kingdom (from 2027)

Other countries: Under the Erasmus+ programme for adult education, mobilities to so-called international countries (third countries not associated with Erasmus+) are NOT possible. Only stays in programme countries or associated third countries are eligible for funding.

A project usually consists of various mobility activities. As is already the case under the current Swiss scheme, the grant amount for an activity is calculated on the basis of various cost categories. Each activity includes a flat-rate allowance for:

• organisational support,
• individual support,
• travel costs.

In addition, in justified cases, funding may be applied for to cover course fees, inclusion support and language support, preparatory visits and exceptional costs. The conditions for these additional fees differ in some cases from the current Swiss scheme.

Under Erasmus+, the following activities are funded in vocational education and training, similar to the Swiss scheme:

• Preparatory visits to prepare for apprentice or staff mobility programmes.
• Short-term mobility for VET students/apprentices: 2–29 days
• Long-term mobility for VET students/apprentices: 30–365 days
• Group mobility for VET students/apprentices: 2–30 days
• Job shadowing for staff: 2–60 days
• Teaching or training activities for staff: 2–365 days 
• Courses and training for staff: 2–10 days
• Invited experts from abroad (incoming): 2–60 days
• Hosting trainee teachers from abroad (incoming): 10–365 days

In the case of mobility projects under Erasmus+, each institution supports only its own VET students/apprentices and teaching staff (outgoing mobility only). An exception is made for invited experts. 

Under the Erasmus+ programme, there are essentially two ways to obtain funding for stays abroad: short-term projects and projects run by accredited institutions (not available to Swiss institutions in 2027). 

Key Action 1: Short-term mobility projects in adult education for VET students/apprentices and education staff (KA122-ADU)

Short-term projects offer low-threshold access to funding to enable VET students/apprentices or adult education staff to undertake stays abroad in Europe. The short-term projects largely correspond to the current funding opportunities under the current Swiss Programme for Erasmus+, which would continue in the event of a negative decision on Erasmus+. Information can be found here.

As soon as the final conditions for the 2027 transition phase are known, they will be published here. For your information: The 2026 template for project submissions can be found here. The following rules currently apply to Erasmus+ projects:

• no prior experience with Erasmus+ is required
• A maximum of 3 applications may be submitted within a 5-year period 
• Project duration of 6 to a maximum of 18 months

Key Action 1: Mobility in adult education for VET students/apprentices and education staff at accredited institutions (KA120/121-ADU)

Please note: Accreditation is not yet available to Swiss institutions during the transition phase to Erasmus+. 

Erasmus+ accreditation is applied for once and is valid for the entire duration of the current Erasmus+ programme generation (2021–27, 2028–34). It ensures simplified access to annual funding for staff and VET students/apprentices’ stays abroad. With Erasmus+ accreditation, institutions support internationalisation and organisational development in the long term:

• no prior experience with Erasmus+ is required
• at least two years’ activity in the relevant educational sector
• a one-off application detailing the programme content
• Subsequent annual funding applications are then possible
• fixed project duration (15 months) for a funding application
• No limit on the number of mobility activities
• Options: available as an individual application or as a consortium

Here’s how you can start preparing for Erasmus+ mobilities now:

Make sure you familiarise yourself with the Erasmus+ Programme Guide at an early stage, particularly the sections on KA1. We also recommend consulting materials from other National Agencies (NAs), such as the NA BIBB (Germany) or the Agence Erasmus+ (France). Movetia will be happy to help you find your way around.

On the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform, you will find funded mobility projects from all programme areas. Use these to get a feel for the language and logic of Erasmus+ applications. Sample applications are also available from Movetia or online.

Establishing international partner institutions takes time, so approach existing contacts at an early stage. Movetia supports you in forming new partnerships through various networks. To take the first joint planning step, you can submit an application for a preparatory visit.

Think about what your project idea would look like under both Erasmus+ and the Swiss scheme, taking into account the respective budget frameworks, partner requirements and risks. Movetia will be happy to help you assess these.

Significantly larger funding amounts are available under Erasmus+. Make the most of this time to think more broadly about your project ideas, involving more partners, achieving a greater impact and extending the project duration.