Students cheer two million mark
A Cardiff University student has been chosen to celebrate Erasmus hitting the two million mark.
Kate Samways – who worked in Millau, South France as an IT English Language assistant and studied in Venice – says the Erasmus experience has given her amazing opportunities. She enthuses, 'I got such a sense of achievement and independence from making a real life for myself in a place which is so different to my life at home. I relished the challenge, knowing that the whole idea of Erasmus is to expand your horizons.'
Two million students have had an extended experience of another culture thanks to the Erasmus programme, which is the European Union’s flagship exchange programme for higher education students and staff.
Set up in 1987, it has been managed by the British Council since 2007.
Simon Williams, the British Council’s Head of EU Programmes, says 'It is clear through Kate’s experience that Erasmus students really do gain so much more than academic recognition. By integrating themselves into their new surroundings and getting involved, they become a real asset to their host community, broadening their own life experience as well as those of the people whose lives they touch along the way.'
He adds, 'Kate’s story is representative of the growing number of UK students who take part in this excellent programme.'
Kate – who also said the experience was like 'nothing I had ever done before' – will attend the forthcoming conference, 'Erasmus – the way forward', which takes place in Lund, Sweden on 5-6 October.
The combined Lifelong Learning Programme contract, which includes the Erasmus and Comenius programmes, is worth €50m, making it the most valuable contract the British Council manages.
Under the Erasmus programme, students can undertake a study period and/or a work placement as part of their degree.
For further information on the Erasmus programme please visit www.britishcouncil.org/erasmus
