Evaluation Erasmus+ in Flanders

The European Commission has requested all Member States to provide an interim evaluation of the effects of the Erasmus+ programme and the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation. IDEA Consult performed this evaluation on behalf of the Flemish government.

The evaluation established whether the programme is achieving its goals and what its added value is as a European programme. The evaluation also focused on simplification, cost-effectiveness, internal and external coherence and the relevance of the Erasmus+ objectives. These objectives include improving the skills of Europeans, internationalising educational institutions and raising awareness of the concept of lifelong learning.

The investigation used focus groups, existing data (Erasmus Plus database and Erasmus+ survey) and its own survey among 608 staff members, 1198 students/trainees, 114 participating organisations and 101 non-participating organisations.

In terms of efficiency, we have found that KA1 (individual learning mobility) is generally effective. The programme ensures that the core competencies of staff and students increase and the level of the institutions improves. We did notice that with the exception of vocational education and training (VET), the KA1 budget is insufficient in order to meet demand. The effectiveness of KA2 (strategic partnerships) is currently limited due to budgetary constraints and other factors.

With regard to internal coherence, we concluded that the integration of the various programmes with Erasmus+ is not yet perceived as a success. We also pointed out possible existing synergies in terms of external coherence.

The full report can be downloaded at http://data-onderwijs.vlaanderen.be/onderwijsonderzoek/default.aspx?nr=641