WRITTEN QUESTION E-2042/02

by Paul Rübig (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 July 2002)

Subject: Mobility funding under the Leonard da Vinci programme for persons undergoing in-house training

The measures to foster mobility under Leonard da Vinci, which is designed to be the European Union's assistance programme for vocational training, appeal to various target groups. Obviously, school students can more easily take up mobility grants because they can use school holidays for mobility periods abroad and can therefore, during those holidays, spend fairly lengthy periods in another Member State. In many Member States, however, persons undergoing training in firms (in particular, then, apprentices under the dual system) are employed by those firms and therefore have little or no time, at their disposal and much the same applies to their instructors and trainers. Managing to be given leave of absence or to be sent by an employer is much more difficult. Special assistance measures are therefore needed to ensure that this category of young people receive appropriate mobility offers commensurate with the extent to which they are represented in each country's education system and can take up mobility grants.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. How many mobility grants have been awarded in the individual Member States under the Leonard da Vinci II programme, and with what total value, to young people in employment who are undergoing initial vocational training?

2. How do those mobility grants compare with grants for students at vocational schools?

3. In percentage terms, do the mobility grants reflect the proportion of young people undergoing initial vocational training overall? What are the percentages concerned?

4. What specific assistance measures are being planned by the Commission to ensure that young people undergoing initial vocational training in firms can take up mobility grants to a greater extent?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2002)

Under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, grants for a stay abroad may be awarded to the following target groups:

- young people undergoing initial vocational training;

- students;

- young workers and recent graduates;

- instructors in vocational training establishments, human resource managers and language trainers.

The total budget allocated for mobility grants was EUR 69,4 million in 2000, EUR 71,8 million in 2001 and EUR 77,9 million in 2002, making a total of almost EUR 220 million over three years. This sum should allow almost 120 000 placements to be funded. Detailed figures are provided in the tables which have been sent to the Honourable Member and the Parliament's Secretariat-General.

Management of the projects, by national agencies in each country, is totally decentralised. The distribution of the budget between target groups varies from one country to another, according the specific needs identified in each country prior to the selections being made, because the Leonardo da Vinci programme supports and complements actions in the Member States.

The target group consisting of young people undergoing initial vocational training includes those in schools and also those doing sandwich courses. The Leonardo da Vinci programme funds the largest number of placements for this target group. For 2000 and 2001, and for the selections already made in 2002, the budget amounts to around 31 % of the total mobility budget, i.e. approximately EUR 68 million. This sum will allow 55 000 grants to be awarded, accounting for more than 45 % of the total number.

Within this target group, it is not known precisely what percentage of trainees are following sandwich courses. The programme does not make any distinction between these trainees and young people undergoing initial training in schools. The Commission believes that this group as a whole faces more difficulties than students in going abroad for a lengthy period. There is the problem of the trainee's availability, but also the fact that this group is younger and has less freedom of action for going abroad. A Leonardo da Vinci placement is often their first experience of working abroad.

The Leonardo da Vinci programme makes special provision for this target group by agreeing to fund placements lasting three weeks, whereas students only receive grants for placements of at least three months. Placements may involve travelling in groups. The daily allowance is a little higher than for students. As with other trainees, the programme cofinances the running costs and the costs entailed in preparing the trainees (particularly from the linguistic point of view). The total grant is around EUR 1 250 per placement.

Experience has shown that a well-organised placement, even if it is a short one, is of benefit to both trainees and employers. The problem of the availability of young people on sandwich courses can best be solved by the training establishment negotiating with the employer, and a period abroad being agreed on, right at the start of an apprenticeship. The Leonardo da Vinci programme will then provide financial support for trainees for the three weeks (or more) which they spend abroad.