Networks and initiatives

Following the announcement that the UK will not take part in the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, UK participants will no longer be eligible to participate in the eTwinning platform from 1 January 2021. 

eTwinning is the EU’s online community platform for schools in Europe. 

Existing UK users in eTwinning projects registered before 31 December 2020 can continue to participate in those projects as a guest teacher but will no longer be able to access projects with their previous eTwinning credentials. They can be invited to the project’s Twinspace by one of the non-UK project partners. 

For more information, including how to access ongoing projects, please see the British Council eTwinning page. 

The School Education Gateway is a European Commission portal to support schools in planning Erasmus+ projects and finding partner schools. 

Visit the School Education Gateway to find: 

• Professional development opportunities abroad for teachers – including a course catalogue and a mobility opportunities database 
• Partner schools and colleges abroad - for pupil exchanges, staff exchanges, and other projects 
• News, events and policy updates, plus content on themed topics such as citizenship, language learning and inclusive education 
• The European Toolkit for Schools, sharing best practice among school practitioners and policy makers. 

The School Education Gateway works alongside eTwinning, a free online community. Your eTwinning login will work for the School Education Gateway. 

Following the announcement that the UK will not take part in the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, Eurodesk UK closed its services from 1 January 2021. 

The Eurodesk Network still operates across Europe, offering an information and support service to help young people and youth organisations find out about international opportunities including studying, working and volunteering abroad. The coordinators in each country offer a direct link to local knowledge about opportunities, projects, and living standards for young people, as well as offering guidance on European youth rights.  

Eurodesk supports and contributes to the European Youth Portal, a platform with information about opportunities and initiatives of interest to young people and stakeholders working in the field of youth (youth organisations, youth workers, policy makers, etc.). If you need specific advice, you can submit a question online in the 'Ask a Question' section. 

Following the announcement that the UK will not take part in the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, the EPALE National Support Service for the United Kingdom has closed its services from 1 January 2021. 

UK users can continue to use the platform and contact the EPALE Central Team for assistance via [email protected].  

EPALE, the ePlatform for Adult Learning in Europe, is a multilingual open membership community funded by the European Commission. EPALE is for teachers, trainers, researchers, academics, policy makers and anyone else with a professional role in adult learning across Europe.  

SALTO-YOUTH stands for Support, Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities within the European youth programme. SALTO-YOUTH.net is a network of resource centres working on European priority areas within the youth field. It provides youth work and training resources and organises training and contact-making activities to support organisations and National Agencies working within Erasmus+. 

Europass is a European initiative designed to help people make their skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood when moving around the UK and Europe. It helps provide information, where it is needed, by articulating skills gained during time spent within Europe, to giving a more detailed breakdown of an academic award. 

If you are looking to work or study in Europe then Europass can provide you with the means to effectively promote your skills and competences. It is free to use and recognised all over Europe. 

For more information please visit the Europass website. 

Youthpass is a European recognition tool for non-formal and informal learning in youth work, developed by SALTO, initially for the Youth in Action programme. 

Youthpass is for projects funded by Erasmus+ youth programmes and helps the participants of those projects to record their learning and skills development, which could then be used to support job applications or applications for further courses, for example. 

For more information visit the Youthpass website. 

The European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) is a technical framework which supports the transfer, recognition and accumulation of learning outcomes. ECVET provides a set of principles and tools that facilitate the process of learner recognition, with a view to achieving a qualification. 

Following the announcement that the UK will not take part in the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, ECVET UK closed its services from 1 January 2021. 

The ECVET network still operates across Europe, offering information and support services to help learners and organisations find out about the ECVET technical framework. The ECVET experts offer a direct link to local knowledge and explain how the ECVET tools and templates can be used in the delivery of mobility programmes, supporting learners in getting the most out of their international experience and ensuring a better understanding of learning provisions and qualifications in other countries. 

UK beneficiaries can continue to use the resources on this page to support their international work.

The European Solidarity Corps is a European Union initiative that brings together young people to build a more inclusive society, supporting vulnerable people and responding to the challenges facing society across the continent. 

It offers an inspiring and empowering experience for young people who want to help, learn and develop by funding a range of opportunities across a broad range of areas, such as integration of migrants, environmental challenges, prevention of natural disasters, education and youth activities or measures to prevent radicalisation.  

The United Kingdom took part in the programme prior to its withdrawal from the European Union. Organisations which successfully secured funding prior to withdrawal are continuing to deliver the funded activities and placements.  

DiscoverEU is an initiative of the European Union giving young people the opportunity to experience travel around Europe. Travel is predominantly by rail, but there are exceptions to allow those living on islands or in remote areas to participate. Young people can use their travel pass to discover Europe’s stunning landscapes and its variety of cities and towns. This journey gives them the chance to meet like-minded travellers, to learn, and to build their confidence by travelling independently.

Find out more 

Full details of how young people can take advantage of DiscoverEU and the rules for applying can be found at https://europa.eu/youth/discovereu/. Online support is available on the project’s Facebook page.