Upper secondary
Post-secondary non-tertiary
Tertiary

Mobility scheme: Erasmus+
Source of funds: European
Target group: IVET learners (students/recent graduates)

There is a process for setting up policy targets, but it is limited in coverage and not planned to be expanded.
There is a target to involve all VET schools and IVET institutions in Cyprus, in IVET mobility and also as many students for long term mobility as possible (no target number).

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ (CY NA) sets annually quantitative and qualitative targets for the IVET mobility projects.

There is no overall coordination for the IVET mobility policy in general.

There is no overall evaluation of the IVET mobility policy in general. There is no process to consider the different thematic areas together.

In Cyprus, there is a mechanism of information and guidance for the international learning mobility of IVET students.
Following specific rules, regulations and procedures, the national Agency for Erasmus+ organises information days open to VET schools, Higher VET schools, young people, youth organisation representatives and Erasmus+ programme potential and current beneficiaries. The agency organises conferences and seminars and informs relevant stakeholders on existing mobility opportunities which can be funded under the Erasmus+ Programme.
The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ also supports application writing by organising a “How-to-apply” seminar for each Call for Proposals and also operating a help desk. Once the application of a VET school, Higher VET school or a Consortium including IVET mobility is approved, the coordinator of each project is invited to a kick-off meeting, where all procedures of project management are explained by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+. The Project Coordinators then assume the responsibility to run their own selection round of IVET participants in their schools, which must be timely, fair and transparent.
The procedures related with the selection of participants are checked by the CY NA during on-the-spot visits or other checks.

The provision of information and guidance to IVET learners on international mobility topics is coordinated through Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, which informs schools through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth (MoECSY) on mobility opportunities through events or circulars (disseminated to the VET schools by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth)

At policy level, the coordination of information and guidance provision on IVET mobility is ensured by the Directorate General for European Programmes Coordination and Development, which is the National Authority of the Erasmus+ Programme. The National Authority is responsible for all EU programmes and thus coordinates as well as organises and participates in conferences on information and guidance for IVET mobility.

For the development of specific policies, there is cooperation between the National Authority with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance (MLWSI).

There are no policy targets at national level. The overall targets of the Erasmus+ Programme are respected, though.

Legal provisions in Cyprus specifically include the objective of promoting international learning mobility in IVET.
To that extent, the government of Cyprus established the Foundation for the Management of European Programmes for Lifelong Learning, which is the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, on 17 January 2007 following decision 64.892/2007, in order to promote the participation of Cypriot citizens and organisations in the European LLP.
The Foundation is governed by a tripartite Governing Board comprising nine members, who serve a four year term, appointed by the Council of Ministers. The expenses of the Foundation are covered from EU funds and by the Republic of Cyprus, through the Directorate General for European Programmes Coordination and Development which was appointed by the Council of Ministers on 9 November 2006 to be the Cyprus National Authority.

Information on mobilities is not provided to VET students themselves, as applications can only be submitted on an organisation level and not on an individual level.
However, when information is requested by individuals – through the help desk line – it is always provided and it is explained that their participation is provisional to their VET school applying for funding and being approved.

The services of the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+are being evaluated in various ways in an effort to enhance quality. Hence, all positive comments, recommendations and criticism are taken on board for the improvement of future actions.

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ has an annual work plan according to which it provides information and assistance on IVET international mobility to IVET institutions and companies.

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, which manages IVET mobilities through KA1 Projects, constantly pursues to enhance guidance and information on mobility of IVET learners through various activities:
- Presentation of examples of good practice in various events organised by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+
- Publication of examples of good practice
- Promotion of success stories of IVET mobility through videos
- Organisation of information days
- Training of newly appointed headteachers or vice-headteachers of VET schools on the IVET mobility opportunities offered through the Programme for their students (These trainings are organised by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and include a plethora of subjects, one of which is Erasmus+ - during that training day, Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ staff take over the training)

Cyprus has a mechanism for information and guidance on IVET international learning mobility. This provision is ensured through school counsellors, and also directly through the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+. The information and guidance provision to IVET learners is coordinated by Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth
At policy level, the countrywide coordination is ensured by the Directorate General for European Programmes Coordination and Development, which is the National Authority responsible for all EU programmes, and also through cooperation between the National Authority with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance.
The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ works towards reaching the general objectives set in the frame of Erasmus+. Yet, the main drawbacks in this thematic area in Cyprus are the absence of policy targets and the lack of specific policy actions for the improvement of information and guidance provision.
The country could consider putting in place (or highlighting if they already exist) specific policy targets in terms of information and guidance, and an evaluated improvement plan to ensure the effectiveness of information and guidance provision on international learning mobility for IVET learners.

In Cyprus there is no explicit policy intention to integrate international learning mobility experiences in the curricula of IVET programmes. There are no tools and mechanisms to evaluate and accredit the knowledge received during periods of international learning mobility, apart from the documents and certificates requested by the Erasmus+ mobility Programme.

However, the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ is promoting international learning mobility and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and is supporting this mobility with circulars sent to schools and colleges. The VET schools support their students in finding IVET mobility projects which match their subject of studies, but the period of international learning mobility is not integrated in the curricula of the IVET learners.

No policy targets.

In February 2017 the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with all relevant authorities issued the new framework of procedures concerning the entry in the Republic of Cyprus of foreign students participating in the European Mobility Programme Erasmus +. The new framework came into force on 23/2/2017 and its purpose is to smooth the delivery of visas and residency permits to students/IVET learners from third countries.

No specific measures have been taken in Cyprus to reduce administrative burdens that may hinder the international mobility of IVET learners. At mobility organisers level, the introduction of the VET mobility charter to VET organisations with previous experience in mobility simplifies the application procedure and guarantees approval of the application, as already accredited organisations have already demonstrated their ability to run good quality IVET mobility projects.
In addition to that, with the upcoming new Erasmus+ 2021-2027, the Accreditation scheme will be available for all VET schools, regardless of previous experience, which will guarantee stable access to funding through simplified procedures for the request for grants.

All main administrative burdens are taken over by the sending organisation rather than the participants.

No specific measures have been taken in Cyprus to remove legal obstacles to the mobility of minors.

Outgoing IVET students below 18 years of age must be accompanied by teachers and their parents have to give their written consent.

In Cyprus, there is legislation ensuring that IVET students and apprentices involved in international learning mobility have appropriate access to protection in terms of social security.

Social protection
Social security as a rule applies to employees, meaning persons who work under an employment relationship and are therefore paid a salary, including IVET students that receive a salary during their learning mobility. Concerning medical care, all EU citizens are covered via the European Health Card. Third country nationals that require a visa to enter the country have to bring with them a valid medical care insurance issued prior to their entry in Cyprus. The Maternity leave legislation covers all persons who fall within the category of employees (this excludes self-employed people regardless of their nationality). Traineeships without remuneration are not considered as proper employment and are not covered by the law. Furthermore, especially for third country nationals' relevant regulations with special reference to students and apprentices apply under the Aliens and Migration Law Chapter 105, Articles 18M and 18N.

Labour protection
In Cyprus, there is legislation ensuring that IVET students and apprentices involved in international learning mobility have appropriate access to protection in terms of labour standards and safety.
The Safety and Health at Work Laws of 1996 to 2011 and the Management of Safety and Health Issues at Work Regulations of 2002 apply to all workplaces. The legislation covers the workers as well as other persons found in the workplace, including students from EU and non-EU countries. Labour standards as a rule apply to employees, meaning persons which are working under an employment agreement and are therefore paid a salary, including IVET students that receive a salary during their learning mobility. Furthermore, especially for third country nationals relevant regulations with special reference to students and apprentices apply under the Aliens and Migration Law Chapter 105, Articles 18M and 18N.

Incomplete coordination of actions. There are no plans to improve this coordination complete.

The facilitating actions (or at least some of them) are monitored. But there is no systematic and complete evaluation and no systematic process of setting up recommendations oriented towards future improvement, and no plan to develop any.
The Cyprus Erasmus+ National Agency (CY NA) is monitoring the facilitating actions because they are in close cooperation with the sending organisations/schools in order to help them with any difficulties.
The new accreditation option for VET institutions will simplify administrative and institutional obstacles as it will make applying for funding easier and less bureaucratic.

The CY NA aims to involve in IVET mobility all VET schools and IVET institutions in Cyprus, and to expand long-term student mobility. However, no national policy targets have been set in terms of removing the institutional and administrative obstacles to mobility. Although the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and are promoting mobility, there is no explicit policy intention to integrate international mobility periods in the curricula of IVET programmes, and this could be suggested as a point for consideration in the future.

A new regulatory framework was adopted in 2017 to facilitate the delivery of visas and residency permits to students/IVET learners from third countries. Yet, measures aimed to reduce administrative burdens and actions to remove legal obstacles to the mobility of minors are lacking. As a first step, the country could try to identify the possible obstacles to mobility in these areas by conducting user surveys or studies/research on these topics. Appropriate steps could then be considered, including developing policy targets and a systematically coordinated and evaluated policy.

In Cyprus, recognition of learning outcomes acquired by IVET learners involved in international learning mobility is at the discretion of IVET providers, and may be granted on a case by case basis according to the specific learning agreements between sending and receiving institutions.

The recognition of international learning mobility refers to the recognition of the learning/training period abroad by the home institution. The recognition involves the Europass Mobility document or other certificates issued by the training provider.

IVET learners involved in international learning mobility have easy access to recognition of learning acquired abroad.

The recognition of the learning outcomes acquired during the mobility period is carried out through learning agreements between the sending and receiving institutions and the IVET learners. The three parties sign a learning agreement which binds them, and following the mobility period the receiving institution, according to the agreement, issues a certificate which the sending organisation recognises accordingly.

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, as far as the Erasmus+ Programme is concerned, sets as a target 100% recognition. In addition to that, the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ strongly recommends to all participants in mobilities the use of the Europass documents, for better and clearer documentation of the knowledge and skills acquired during their mobility.

The recognition approach in place in the country applies to:
• Courses
• Programmes

Placements for work experience are also accounted for. In the case of public VET Schools, it is possible for IVET learners to travel in order to either attend other VET schools’ courses and do part of their studies there or do a placement for work experience in the industry. If practical experience is anyway mandatory in the curriculum, their placement time abroad is accrued to that total mandatory placement duration.

There is no evaluation or accreditation body in order to approve credit points / units / qualifications / diplomas and degrees. In some cases and depending on the home institution, if a period of training was part of the study programme of the student, then modules may be also recognised.

In Cyprus, the recognition of learning acquired by IVET students during mobility periods abroad is not coordinated countrywide. There is not yet in place a common framework followed by all VET providers.

Within the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) project, the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and the ECVET experts inform the relevant authorities, stakeholders, schools and training providers about ECVET and its tools, in order to set the foundations and then develop and implement ECVET. The ECVET experts are offering guidance to VET providers on how to use and recognise learning outcomes.

The recognition process is not currently subject to a regulatory time limit.

In Cyprus, there are no contact points for information on recognition of learning outcomes acquired abroad, and therefore no visibility actions.

With regards to Erasmus+, the Cyprus Erasmus+ National Agency is monitoring the recognition and certification of all international mobility participants. The home/sending institutions are responsible to select and approve international mobility hosts that will provide Europass Mobility documents or other Certificates to the selected participants, as the Erasmus+ programme requires. Information on recognition is provided to participants by their VET schools and by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+.

As there are no policy initiatives for the visibility of contact points for the recognition of learning acquired abroad by IVET learners, there is no evaluation thereof.

The Europass Mobility document is used within Erasmus+. The home institution prepares and uses this document for international mobility and it is signed by the host training provider at the end of the mobility period. This document certifies the training received by IVET learners. Then the home institution recognises the knowledge gained during the mobility period.

The Europass Certificate Supplement is delivered to people who hold a vocational education and training certificate; it adds information to what is already included in the official certificate, making it more easily understood, especially by employers or institutions outside the issuing country. In tertiary VET education, after long-term IVET mobility periods, the Europass Certificate Supplement can provide information about the training offered and the learning outcomes achieved during the IVET mobility abroad.

The NQF in Cyprus has been approved and adopted, but does not seem to be in use yet for IVET learning mobility purposes.

ECVET is in the course of implementation. So far it has not been used for IVET mobility activities

The recognition mechanism/process is not monitored. There is some form of initial debate on this.

In the area of Recognition of Learning Outcomes, the target of 100% recognition has been set. Mobility participants have easy access to the recognition of learning outcomes acquired abroad. Recognition is ensured by the home institution on the basis of Europass Mobility documents or other certificates issued by the host organisation in the frame of Erasmus+. However, the approach to recognition is entirely at the discretion of IVET providers, with no countrywide coordination. The recognition mechanism is also not evaluated. Putting in place a coordinated mechanism or national framework for the recognition of learning outcomes acquired during mobility periods would be a necessary step ahead. Ensuring that the recognition policy is evaluated could be considered. Several other aspects could benefit from future intervention in Cyprus, in this thematic area. The recognition of learning acquired abroad applies only to courses, programmes and potentially to modules, and there is no accreditation body in order to approve credit points / units / qualifications / diplomas / degrees. The recognition process is not subject to a regulatory time limit. The country also lacks a policy to establish dedicated and visible contact points for information on the recognition of learning outcomes acquired abroad. Of the EU tools for the visibility, transfer and recognition of learning outcomes, only the Europass Mobility document, and in some cases the Europass Certificate supplement, are used in the context of IVET mobility. The NQF is in place while ECVET is in process of implementation, but none of these tools are used yet for the purpose of mobility.

No policy targets.

No countrywide coordination of actions, but preliminary preparation (initial debate, consultation, design, planning, etc.) to develop one has begun.

In Cyprus, the creation of partnerships for organising international learning mobility projects in IVET is supported by measures in the frame of Erasmus+.

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ provides assistance to training providers, host institutions and enterprises. The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ receives training offers from training providers from Cyprus and other EU Member States and disseminates the information to VET schools and institutions. Also, in order to assist the IVET sending schools, the Agency advises them to use the E-twinning platform facilities to create networks for IVET mobility with schools in the EU.

There is no evaluation approach to assess the effectiveness of actions aimed to support IVET providers in the creation of mobility partnerships and networks.

However, in the frame of Erasmus+, after the completion of mobility periods, the IVET beneficiary institutions and the participants are requested to evaluate the quality of the mobility. This is one way to check if the matching of home and host institutions / organisations was a success or not.

The country provides IVET learners with financial support for their international mobility through its participation in Erasmus+. The body that coordinates the allocation of Erasmus+ funds in Cyprus is the National Agency for Erasmus+.

The Erasmus+ programme has a procedure for the evaluation of the quality of the programme implementation, including the monitoring of the allocation of EU funds.

This monitoring covers all stakeholders involved - the National Authority, National Agency, beneficiary organisations and participants. It concerns the fairness and transparency of EU fund allocation to beneficiaries, according to set rules and regulations within the Erasmus+ programme.

In Cyprus, the provision of support to stakeholders involved in organising international IVET mobility projects is ensured through the country’s participation in Erasmus+, according to the guidelines of the European Commission.

The Erasmus+ programme provides funds for organising mobility projects, which amount to €350 per participant. It also provides funds for other mobility-related activities, including per diem allowance for travelling. Accompanying persons are entitled to receive funding as well, and extra funds may be approved for persons with special needs.

Stakeholders and staff involved in organising IVET mobility projects are also provided with information, assistance and guidance by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+. Erasmus+ grant beneficiaries are invited to info-days where the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ provides documentation and explains how to best manage IVET mobility activities (for example, how to find the right host partners, how to complete the learning/training agreements, etc.).

The support offered to stakeholders and staff for organising IVET mobility projects is evaluated as part of the evaluation of Erasmus+ activities.

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ also implements self-evaluation for the support it provides, and it receives feedback from stakeholders and staff for the support provided, through distributed questionnaires. This evaluation helps the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ to adjust the support actions if necessary.

The country’s achievements in the thematic area of Partnerships and Funding are related to activities undertaken in the context of the Erasmus+ programme. The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ provides assistance to VET schools and training providers in the creation of networks for IVET mobility projects. However, there is no evaluation approach to assess the effectiveness of these actions, an aspect that could be considered for improvement in the future. No policy targets have also been set for the partnerships and funding policy. IVET learners are provided with financial support for their international mobility in the context of Erasmus+ and the allocation of Programme funds is monitored according to the Programme rules and regulation. A step ahead would be to make sure that the country's funding policy for IVET mobility is evaluated to ensure that IVET learners benefit from sufficient financial support, and that the results of such an evaluation are used to further adjust the support provided. Stakeholders involved in organising IVET mobility projects benefit from financial support, information and assistance according to Erasmus+ guidelines. These support measures are evaluated internally by Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, and the feedback received from project beneficiaries is used to adjust the support provided.

The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+which implements the Erasmus+ for Education and Culture in Cyprus organises various dissemination events addressed to the public, at national level, where examples of good practice are disseminated and participants themselves share their experiences. The added value of learning mobility is communicated through these events. Dissemination material is prepared, like booklets and leaflets, where various examples of the added value gained through learning mobility are described. VET schools and IVET Institutions also organise events where the participating students and teachers explain to others in the school about the added value of learning mobility. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth is raising awareness about the added value of mobility through various circulars to schools.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ is fostering a mobility culture among schools and more specifically among VET schools, because of the positive impact among the IVET students that has been observed through the implementation of the programme in previous years.

EURES Cyprus is also involved in various actions concerning awareness-raising campaigns promoting mobility of jobseekers at all levels of education.

Incomplete coordination of actions. There are no plans to improve the coordination.

There is no legal framework which bounds all players as regards the coordination of actions, however the coordination of actions refers to the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ cooperation with the National Authority of the Erasmus+ and cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth in Cyprus. The above-mentioned partners hold special meetings where they discuss events and actions to be taken for the awareness raising and mobility culture fostering.

The existing awareness raising and/or mobility culture actions (or at least some of them) are monitored. But there is no systematic and complete evaluation and no systematic process of setting up recommendations oriented towards future improvement, and no plan to develop any.

At present only the Erasmus+ internal monitoring or evaluation process is carried out. Within the Erasmus+ programme, the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ follows a monitoring and evaluation process of both awareness raising and mobility culture fostering events, on a yearly basis. There are questionnaires given out to the participants during the awareness raising and mobility culture fostering events, which are analysed for the needs of national and Erasmus+ yearly reports.

No policy targets.

Incomplete coordination of actions. There are no plans to improve the coordination.
There is no legal framework which bounds all players as regards the coordination of actions, however the coordination of actions refers to the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ cooperation with the National Authority of the Erasmus+ and cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth in Cyprus.
The above-mentioned partners hold special meetings where they discuss events and actions to be taken for the awareness raising and mobility culture fostering.

The country has taken actions that cover the following dimensions.

Linguistic and intercultural preparation
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth is aware of the multicultural trends which are developing in the world. Consequently, from the early stages of education (Primary and Secondary Education) it supports the development of intercultural awareness, tolerance and respect of differentiation. It works towards the harmonious coexistence of students regardless of differences in ethnicity or cultural background.
In primary education a second language (EN) is introduced in the curriculum and later in secondary education one or two more languages are introduced, according to the direction chosen by the students. At the age of 15/16 in Lyceum and IVET the students continue their language learning with at least two extra languages.

Internationalising the IVET curriculum
IVET students but also teachers take the opportunity to travel to other EU countries through the Erasmus+ programme in order to learn new methods of practices and implement them in their daily practice.

Digital preparation
For the early acquisition of basic digital competences by IVET learners, during secondary education (12/13 years old) the students are subsidised by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth to buy a laptop. However, due to the recent economic crisis in Cyprus and limited budget, this has been restricted to students with socioeconomic problems. In addition, in the secondary education curriculum, basic and intermediate digital competences are introduced.

Cyprus is also one of the partners to the European Commission leading multi-stakeholder partnership campaign, "the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs", to tackle the lack of digital skills in Europe and the thousands of unfilled ICT-related vacancies across all industry sectors. The National Coalition for Digital Jobs was established in Cyprus, composed of relevant stakeholders, including ICT companies, education and training providers, public authorities and the digital champion. Three working groups have been formed (education and training, certification and awareness) in order to formulate and implement an Action Plan and a roadmap, with the aim to attract young people into ICT education and increase the supply of ICT practitioners, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on 18 January 2016. A website was developed, and a publicity event took place on 19 November 2015, under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, with three Ministers and relevant stakeholders participating. A monitoring committee follows-up implementation of actions included in the Action Plan. The internationalisation strategy described in the applications for Erasmus+ VET mobility by the VET schools reveals their strong will for cooperation, exchange of good practice and development of their know how. Furthermore, the department of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth has been working on the curriculum of VET schools (ages 15-20+) for the development of learning outcomes and the introduction of the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET). All the above together with Europass mobility documents and certificate supplement documents are used to facilitate mobility.

Incomplete coordination of actions. There are no plans to improve the coordination. These actions are ensured through the curriculum but there is no other countrywide coordination.
At present, the only coordination that exists for the promotion of the above three dimensions is between the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and Erasmus+ programme but actions are not monitored and there is no evaluation process.

The existing linguistic and intercultural, digital, and internationalisation actions are not monitored, and there is no plan to develop any kind of evaluation process. The monitoring and initial evaluation process that exists for the above three dimensions is undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, which manages the Erasmus+ programme.

No policy targets. The existing targets (quantitative or qualitative) are set by public or private initiatives or individually by VET providers. There is no country formal policy or central initiative by the Authorities.

Learners and Stakeholders are involved only if they participate in the Erasmus+ programme. Their involvement concerns only preparation activities that relate to the needs of the mobility.

Cyprus has taken substantial steps to provide learners with linguistic, intercultural and digital preparation for mobility from the early stages of education. Schools take part in international cooperation and exchange good practices, however concrete examples of introduction of pedagogical methods from abroad into the IVET curriculum are lacking. The existing actions are coordinated, although to a limited extent only. They are not monitored, and there are no countrywide policy targets set up for the long-term preparation of learners to mobility. Steps for progress in future could include setting up such policy targets; making the coordination of long-term-preparation activities systematic; putting in place full-fledged evaluation processes for the long-term preparation policy; making sure that all potential users know about the long-term preparation mechanisms and how to access them; making room for users to give feedback on the long-term preparation mechanisms upon having experienced them; and monitoring the use of the said mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time as necessary.

The country has taken actions that cover the following dimensions.

Language preparation
For short-term mobility, the sending organisation/institution is responsible to offer short courses to the students on the language and cultural information of the host.
For long-term mobility, the students can follow linguistic courses before and during mobility, using the Online Linguistic Support platform (OLS). This EU platform is an interactive self-preparation platform, offering courses in 24 EU languages. The courses are of general language and vocationally oriented. The courses offered are on a mandatory basis when the mobility is of duration of 19 days or longer.

Stay monitoring
The procedure involves the sending and receiving organisations and the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+. Firstly, the sending organisation is organising and preparing the activities, stay and integration of the students in the host country. In cooperation with the host they organise the reception, training activities, mentoring, accommodation, transport and integration of the students. They share activities and sign contracts that determine who does what. During the mobility they collect feedback from the participants and in the end the participants are requested to answer questionnaires.

Feedback collection
The sending institution collects and analyses the feedback received by the participants in order to improve and develop its activities. The questionnaire is sent to participants via email and it is about all aspects of mobility activities: before, during and after the mobility.

Reintegration upon return from mobility
The home organisation/institution is helping for the reintegration of the participants in the home country, upon their return.

Transport, accommodation, catering
The participants are usually accompanied and so the accompanying teachers with the help of the host arrange the accommodation, transport and catering of the participants. The same stands when the participants are not minors. All the above are taken care of and organised before mobility by the home and host organisations/institutions.

Incomplete coordination of actions. There are no plans to improve the coordination. The coordination of the quality actions is taken by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ which is responsible for the implementation of the programme in Cyprus and follows the rules and regulations of the programme.
The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ when funding the beneficiary organisations for the mobility activities, offers guidance and helps the beneficiary organisations in order to follow specific procedures so as mobility activities are successfully implemented, and according to the programme rules and regulations.

The existing quality actions (or at least some of them) are evaluated: not only are they monitored (e.g. through reports, audits, user surveys, etc.) but also recommendations for future improvement are provided, implemented and followed-up along time for (re)adjustment as necessary.
Evaluations for all dimensions of the quality actions are implemented at national level by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and also at EU level by the European Commission which is responsible for the Erasmus+ programme.
The evaluation is about how relevant the activities have been to the development and how close they have been to the strategy of the home organisation/institution.
Another evaluation point concerns the quality of the project design and implementation and finally the impact and dissemination.
After the evaluation, the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ sends the feedback to the beneficiary organisations with recommendations and comments for improvements.
The result of the activities and also the reports are further analysed by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and yearly reports are prepared for the results.

No policy targets. There is only the EU policy targets set. However, there are targets (quantitative, qualitative) set by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ which implements the Erasmus+ programme.

In terms of evaluation of the linguistic preparation, the following apply:
- In cases of participants in short-term mobilities (shorter than 19 days), the participants are requested to evaluate their mobility experience, including preparation aspects of it, through an online questionnaire circulated automatically to them via email.
- In cases of longer mobilities, participants, apart from the above-mentioned questionnaire, are evaluated prior to their mobility activity on their linguistic competence, and after their activity, the language test is repeated in order to evaluate their progress.

The questions in the survey about monitoring the stay process provide information, by the learners, about the mobility process, accommodation, mentoring, guidance, integration etc. The answers to the related questions are also analysed by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and feedback/recommendations are sent to the beneficiary organisation. Finally, the outcome is described in the programme yearly report submitted to the European Commission and when relevant, remedial measures are proposed by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+.

The learners are also requested to answer questions about the facilities for housing and transport in their final reports. All information and answers follow an analysis procedure and the feedback again is sent to the beneficiary organisations for improvement. The outcome is described in the programme yearly report, submitted to the European Commission by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+.

Cyprus has in place actions to ensure the quality of mobility through pre-stay linguistic preparation, stay monitoring processes, post-stay feedback collection and provision of transport, accommodation and catering. The existing quality actions are coordinated although not in a systematic and complete manner. They are, however, evaluated. Learners are involved in the process of providing feedback on the linguistic preparation, the stay monitoring process, and the provision of transport, accommodation and catering. However, the country has not set up policy targets for the quality policy. Steps forward which could be considered in the future include setting up policy targets for this thematic area; making the coordination of quality actions systematic; making sure that all potential users know about the quality mechanisms and how to access them; and monitoring the use of the said mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time as necessary.

There is a national grant.

There are state funding bodies.

There is study financial contribution.

They are portable in full.

The country has in place mechanisms that ensure the portability of IVET learners' personal and study-related grants, loans and benefits:The Ministry of Finance provides authorisation to the banks and so the IVET learners' personal and study-related grants, loans and benefits are transferred.

Complete countrywide coordination of all portability mechanism is ensured through a countrywide framework which is set by regulations and/or arrangements agreed between players. The coordination of this mechanism is undertaken by the Central bank of Cyprus in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and the banking sector.

There is no evaluation of the portability policy.

No policy targets

Cyprus provides IVET learners with a national grant which is portable in full. The mechanism is managed by the Ministry of Finance and banks. Coordination is ensured by the Central Bank. However, the mechanism is not evaluated. No policy target has been set for portability actions. Learners are not involved in making the portability mechanism run effectively and improve over time. Steps forward in the future could include setting up policy targets in terms of portability; putting in place an evaluation process for this policy; making sure that all potential users of the portability mechanism know about it and how to benefit from it; making room for users to give feedback upon having experienced it; and monitoring the use of the mechanism so as to readjust and improve it accordingly over time as necessary.

The country has taken actions in the following dimensions. The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ provides information and guidance to the beneficiary VET schools, for international learning mobility of the disadvantaged learners. The programme also provides real cost coverage of the expenses for the mobility of the disadvantaged students and also extra help with more accompanying persons during mobility. In short-term mobility (2 weeks min.: 10 working days), whole IVET classes, including a number of disadvantaged students, are selected for mobility. This encourages the disadvantaged students to participate because they have the support of both their teachers and their schoolmates.

Incomplete coordination of support actions / dimensions. There are no plans to make the coordination complete. Only the Erasmus+ programme offers such support, within the programme procedures.

No evaluation in this policy strand.

No policy targets

After each mobility, all participants in mobilities submit an online participant’s report which aims at evaluating their mobility experience. That information, in combination with what the beneficiary organisation has written in its final report and possible findings from other primary checks, is used by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ for its final evaluation and conclusions on the quality of the project and the IVET mobilities realized within the project. Some examples of the parameters evaluated within that report are the following:
- Preparation
- Recognition of the mobility
- Funding
- Content
- Satisfaction with the accommodation and other arrangements.

After each mobility, all participants in mobilities submit an online participant’s report which aims at evaluating their mobility experience. That information, in combination with what the beneficiary organisation has written in its final report and possible findings from other primary checks, is used by the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+for its final evaluation and conclusions on the quality of the project and the IVET mobilities realized within the project. Some examples of the parameters evaluated within that report are the following:
- Preparation
- Recognition of the mobility
- Funding
- Content
- Satisfaction with the accommodation and other arrangements.

After each mobility, all participants in mobilities submit an online participant’s report which aims at evaluating their mobility experience. That information, in combination with what the beneficiary organisation has written in its final report and possible findings from other primary checks, is used by the National Agency for its final evaluation and conclusions on the quality of the project and the IVET mobilities realized within the project. Some examples of the parameters evaluated within that report are the following:
- Preparation
- Recognition of the mobility
- Funding
- Content
- Satisfaction with the accommodation and other arrangements.

Cyprus has, within the Erasmus+ programme, mobility-related information and guidance targeted at disadvantaged IVET learners, as well as extra funding for the coverage of specific costs. This action is coordinated but not evaluated, and no target has been defined for it. However, users are involved in the policy through surveys in which disadvantaged learners upon return from abroad can give feedback on the information and support which they received. Steps for further progress in future could include extending the scope of the policy for disadvantaged learners to such areas as motivation, participation and using multipliers; setting up targets for this policy; putting in place a process for having it regularly evaluated; making sure that all potential users know about the mechanisms for disadvantaged learners and how to access them; and monitoring the use of the said mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time as necessary.

Within the Erasmus+ programme, initiatives have been taken by the CY NA at national level, but also by the beneficiary organisations/schools/institutions at institutional level, to use "multipliers" in order to promote learning mobility among IVET newcomers. Also the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ encouraged the IVET institutions to recognise and value teachers and trainers commitment to learning mobility, within the Erasmus+ implementation

Incomplete coordination of initiatives / dimensions. There are no plans to improve the coordination. The only coordination is within the Erasmus+.

The existing initiatives to develop and involve multipliers (or at least some of them) are monitored. But there is no systematic and complete evaluation and no systematic process of setting up recommendations oriented towards future improvement, and there are no plans to develop any. Within Erasmus+ there is an evaluation process followed according to the programme needs.

No policy targets

Initiatives have been taken within the Erasmus+ programme to use “multipliers” in order to promote learning mobility among IVET newcomers. These actions are coordinated and monitored. However, no policy targets have been set for them, and processes for learners to provide feedback are lacking. Steps for future progress could include taking actions for valuing the commitment of staff to learning mobility and mainstreaming mobility in the initial and continuous training of heads and staff; setting up countrywide policy targets for this policy; ensuring that all potential multipliers and staff concerned know about the actions taken and how to participate in and benefit from them; making room for learners and staff to give feedback upon having experienced the mechanisms put in place; and monitoring the use of the mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time.

Information and guidance: Cyprus has a mechanism for information and guidance on IVET international learning mobility. This provision is ensured through school counsellors, and also directly through the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+. The information and guidance provision to IVET learners is coordinated by Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth
At policy level, the countrywide coordination is ensured by the Directorate General for European Programmes Coordination and Development, which is the National Authority responsible for all EU programmes, and also through cooperation between the National Authority with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth and the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance.
The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ works towards reaching the general objectives set in the frame of Erasmus+. Yet, the main drawbacks in this thematic area in Cyprus are the absence of policy targets and the lack of specific policy actions for the improvement of information and guidance provision.
The country could consider putting in place (or highlighting if they already exist) specific policy targets in terms of information and guidance, and an evaluated improvement plan to ensure the effectiveness of information and guidance provision on international learning mobility for IVET learners.

Institutional and administrative issues: The CY NA aims to involve in IVET mobility all VET schools and IVET institutions in Cyprus, and to expand long-term student mobility. However, no national policy targets have been set in terms of removing the institutional and administrative obstacles to mobility. Although the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and are promoting mobility, there is no explicit policy intention to integrate international mobility periods in the curricula of IVET programmes, and this could be suggested as a point for consideration in the future.

A new regulatory framework was adopted in 2017 to facilitate the delivery of visas and residency permits to students/IVET learners from third countries. Yet, measures aimed to reduce administrative burdens and actions to remove legal obstacles to the mobility of minors are lacking. As a first step, the country could try to identify the possible obstacles to mobility in these areas by conducting user surveys or studies/research on these topics. Appropriate steps could then be considered, including developing policy targets and a systematically coordinated and evaluated policy.

Recognition: In the area of Recognition of Learning Outcomes, the target of 100% recognition has been set. Mobility participants have easy access to the recognition of learning outcomes acquired abroad. Recognition is ensured by the home institution on the basis of Europass Mobility documents or other certificates issued by the host organisation in the frame of Erasmus+. However, the approach to recognition is entirely at the discretion of IVET providers, with no countrywide coordination. The recognition mechanism is also not evaluated. Putting in place a coordinated mechanism or national framework for the recognition of learning outcomes acquired during mobility periods would be a necessary step ahead. Ensuring that the recognition policy is evaluated could be considered. Several other aspects could benefit from future intervention in Cyprus, in this thematic area. The recognition of learning acquired abroad applies only to courses, programmes and potentially to modules, and there is no accreditation body in order to approve credit points / units / qualifications / diplomas / degrees. The recognition process is not subject to a regulatory time limit. The country also lacks a policy to establish dedicated and visible contact points for information on the recognition of learning outcomes acquired abroad. Of the EU tools for the visibility, transfer and recognition of learning outcomes, only the Europass Mobility document, and in some cases the Europass Certificate supplement, are used in the context of IVET mobility. The NQF is in place while ECVET is in process of implementation, but none of these tools are used yet for the purpose of mobility.

Partnerships and funding: The country’s achievements in the thematic area of Partnerships and Funding are related to activities undertaken in the context of the Erasmus+ programme. The Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ provides assistance to VET schools and training providers in the creation of networks for IVET mobility projects. However, there is no evaluation approach to assess the effectiveness of these actions, an aspect that could be considered for improvement in the future. No policy targets have also been set for the partnerships and funding policy. IVET learners are provided with financial support for their international mobility in the context of Erasmus+ and the allocation of Programme funds is monitored according to the Programme rules and regulation. A step ahead would be to make sure that the country's funding policy for IVET mobility is evaluated to ensure that IVET learners benefit from sufficient financial support, and that the results of such an evaluation are used to further adjust the support provided. Stakeholders involved in organising IVET mobility projects benefit from financial support, information and assistance according to Erasmus+ guidelines. These support measures are evaluated internally by Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+, and the feedback received from project beneficiaries is used to adjust the support provided.



Motivation: Incomplete coordination of actions. There are no plans to improve the coordination.
There is no legal framework which bounds all players as regards the coordination of actions, however the coordination of actions refers to the Cyprus National Agency for Erasmus+ cooperation with the National Authority of the Erasmus+ and cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth in Cyprus.
The above-mentioned partners hold special meetings where they discuss events and actions to be taken for the awareness raising and mobility culture fostering.

Long-term preparation: Cyprus has taken substantial steps to provide learners with linguistic, intercultural and digital preparation for mobility from the early stages of education. Schools take part in international cooperation and exchange good practices, however concrete examples of introduction of pedagogical methods from abroad into the IVET curriculum are lacking. The existing actions are coordinated, although to a limited extent only. They are not monitored, and there are no countrywide policy targets set up for the long-term preparation of learners to mobility. Steps for progress in future could include setting up such policy targets; making the coordination of long-term-preparation activities systematic; putting in place full-fledged evaluation processes for the long-term preparation policy; making sure that all potential users know about the long-term preparation mechanisms and how to access them; making room for users to give feedback on the long-term preparation mechanisms upon having experienced them; and monitoring the use of the said mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time as necessary.

Quality: Cyprus has in place actions to ensure the quality of mobility through pre-stay linguistic preparation, stay monitoring processes, post-stay feedback collection and provision of transport, accommodation and catering. The existing quality actions are coordinated although not in a systematic and complete manner. They are, however, evaluated. Learners are involved in the process of providing feedback on the linguistic preparation, the stay monitoring process, and the provision of transport, accommodation and catering. However, the country has not set up policy targets for the quality policy. Steps forward which could be considered in the future include setting up policy targets for this thematic area; making the coordination of quality actions systematic; making sure that all potential users know about the quality mechanisms and how to access them; and monitoring the use of the said mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time as necessary.

Portability: Cyprus provides IVET learners with a national grant which is portable in full. The mechanism is managed by the Ministry of Finance and banks. Coordination is ensured by the Central Bank. However, the mechanism is not evaluated. No policy target has been set for portability actions. Learners are not involved in making the portability mechanism run effectively and improve over time. Steps forward in the future could include setting up policy targets in terms of portability; putting in place an evaluation process for this policy; making sure that all potential users of the portability mechanism know about it and how to benefit from it; making room for users to give feedback upon having experienced it; and monitoring the use of the mechanism so as to readjust and improve it accordingly over time as necessary.

Disadvantaged learners: Cyprus has, within the Erasmus+ programme, mobility-related information and guidance targeted at disadvantaged IVET learners, as well as extra funding for the coverage of specific costs. This action is coordinated but not evaluated, and no target has been defined for it. However, users are involved in the policy through surveys in which disadvantaged learners upon return from abroad can give feedback on the information and support which they received. Steps for further progress in future could include extending the scope of the policy for disadvantaged learners to such areas as motivation, participation and using multipliers; setting up targets for this policy; putting in place a process for having it regularly evaluated; making sure that all potential users know about the mechanisms for disadvantaged learners and how to access them; and monitoring the use of the said mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time as necessary.

Multipliers: Initiatives have been taken within the Erasmus+ programme to use “multipliers” in order to promote learning mobility among IVET newcomers. These actions are coordinated and monitored. However, no policy targets have been set for them, and processes for learners to provide feedback are lacking. Steps for future progress could include taking actions for valuing the commitment of staff to learning mobility and mainstreaming mobility in the initial and continuous training of heads and staff; setting up countrywide policy targets for this policy; ensuring that all potential multipliers and staff concerned know about the actions taken and how to participate in and benefit from them; making room for learners and staff to give feedback upon having experienced the mechanisms put in place; and monitoring the use of the mechanisms so as to readjust and improve them accordingly over time.