Dear Readers, Education that supports mobility, exploiting the potential of mobility for both improving the quality of education and providing opportunities for better employment were among the priorities in the field of education presented by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to the Member States and the European Commission in 2011. Mobility in the system of formal, informal and non-formal education addressed to various age and professional groups is analysed from multiple perspectives: as an offer from the European Union to young people who face crisis, as expressed in the Youth on the Move (2011) and Youth Opportunities (2012) initiatives of the European Commission; as one of three key actions of the next generation educational programmes; and as a method of opening up the education to changes in the labour market and to the acquisition of new qualifications. By co-organising with the Ministry of National Education in Poland a conference Mobility as a Tool to Acquire and Develop Competences from Childhood to Seniority, which was held on 17–19 October 2011, and a meeting of directors of National Agencies of the Lifelong Learning Programme the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, placed emphasis on the need to continue the discussion on the quality of mobility, the scale and sources of its financing, and the effective use of its added value resulting mainly from the opening of educational institutions to supra-sectoral cooperation and the development of a modern training offer with the use of experiences gained abroad. During the conference and the directors’ meeting, the shape of the new Erasmus for All programme in the field of education, youth and sports for the years 2014–2020, as presented by the European Commission, has been discussed for the first time. An important element of the debate was to show the need to expand cooperation between the European Union and its neighbouring countries, including the Eastern Partnership members. During the Polish Presidency, the Council adopted two major documents setting directions for the development of educational mobility in Member States; Council conclusions on language competences to enhance mobility and Council conclusions on a benchmark for leaning mobility. It has been emphasised in those documents that educational mobility boosts employability of youth and allows them to acquire key skills and competences, such as linguistic and intercultural proficiency. Linguistic skills have been considered a decisive factor affecting the success of mobility for educational and professional purposes, which in turn influences the competitiveness of knowledge-based economy. This publication will help readers become more acquainted with the main topics of the ongoing discussion on challenges relating to European mobility, the biggest of which is ensuring its quality and broad accessibility, especially in the higher education and VET sectors. We should also bear in mind the positive influence mobility has on the professional and civic inclusion of vulnerable groups. Representatives of the Youth in Action National Agencies shared with participants many valuable experiences
Mobilit y as a tool to acquire and develop competences from childhood to seniorit y
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