Students who study or train abroad are half as likely to experience long-term unemployment as their counterparts with no study abroad experience, a new study based on the flagship EU student mobility programme Erasmus has revealed.
The Erasmus Impact Study, which drew on feedback from nearly 80,000 respondents including students and businesses, showed that graduates who have studied or trained abroad had a 23% lower unemployment rate five years after graduation than those who had not.
“The findings are extremely significant, given the context of unacceptably high levels of youth unemployment in the EU”
It also found the number of European employers who think international experience is important for recruitment has doubled since 2006.
An additional two thirds of employers said that graduates with an international background are given greater responsibility in the workplace.
“The findings of the Erasmus Impact study are extremely significant, given the context of unacceptably high levels of youth unemployment in the EU,” Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said.
The study demonstrated a widespread awareness of how studying or training abroad enhances career development, with 85% of students who responded saying they took part in the Erasmus programme to increase their employability.
As well as presenting more career options – more than one in three Erasmus trainees were offered a position at their host company – study abroad was also found to boost the soft skills valued by employers.
Ninety-two per cent of employers marked personality traits such as tolerance, confidence, problem-solving skills, curiosity and knowing one’s strengths/weaknesses as desirable in a job candidate.
Meanwhile tests taken before and after exchange periods reveal that Erasmus students on average value identified those traits in themselves 42% more upon their return.
Nearly 270,000 people studied or trained abroad through Erasmus in 2012-13.
Vassiliou added that the benefits of study exchange will be extended to an addtional four million people over the next seven years through the revamped Erasmus+ programme, which launched this year.
The study also found a correlation between study abroad and global mobility later in life. Of the former Erasmus students who took part in the survey, 40% moved to another country after graduation and 93% said they could easily imagine living abroad in the future, compared with 23% and 73% of non-mobile students.
Over a quarter of Erasmus graduates met their long-term partner during the programme, and around one million babies have been born to Erasmus couples since 1987
It also looked at the impact of study abroad on former Erasmus students’ personal relationships, finding that 33% have a partner of a different nationality, compared to 13% of other graduates.
Morever, just over a quarter of Erasmus graduates met their long-term partner during the programme, and the Commission estimates that around one million babies have been born to Erasmus couples since the programme launched in 1987.
The Erasmus Impact Study was conducted by an independent consortium of experts led by Berlin-based specialists CHE Consult, together with Brussels Education Services, the Compostela Group of Universities and the Erasmus Student Network.
Data was collected using online surveys in 34 countries, resulting in responses from 75,000 students and alumni, including 55,000 who studied or trained abroad. In addition, 5,000 staff, 1 000 higher education institutions and 650 employers participated in online surveys.
There was also a qualitative study, including site visits, interviews, focus groups and institutional workshops, in eight countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain and the UK.
