Closing the gap in inclusive international VET mobility
Students with disabilities or special support needs are significantly underrepresented in international mobility programmes. This is at odds with European ambitions on inclusion, such as Erasmus+ and the European Pillar of Social Rights but also with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD). In higher education, this problem has been documented and addressed to some extent but work done on this topic in vocational education and training (VET) remained limited. “There was virtually no research on a European level specifically for this target group within VET,” Aniek Luyt explains, “so we decided to fill that knowledge gap with this project.” In the IMVET project, VET partners in five countries set out to understand why students are reluctant to participate, and to give VET institutions practical tools to change that.
The bigger picture
The IMVET project aligns with several European objectives on both mobility and inclusion. Funded through Erasmus+, it also directly contributes to the programme’s priorities on diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, Council Recommendation ‘Europe on the Move’ set a target that at least 15% of vocational education students should participate in an international experience, 20% of whom students with fewer opportunities. This project’s target group falls partly within this category, though IMVET zooms in more specifically on students with a disability or additional support needs. By making mobility more accessible, the project helps strengthen international competences and improve labour market prospects, in line with the EU Skills Agenda and the Union of Skills.
Mapping the problem, making the tools
The project has two phases. In the first phase, partners both conducted desk research and organised focus groups with students and VET professionals in all six partner schools. This resulted in a research report, the findings of which form the basis for the development of concrete materials in the second phase. At the core, a toolkit with practical tools for VET professionals. This includes a self-assessment tool for VET institutions to evaluate how inclusive their mobility practices are and comes with templates for individual support plans to help students in their preparations. In addition, the project team is developing information materials for students: a flyer with clear information about mobility options and available support, as well as a communication campaign with student testimonies that the target group can relate to and which encourage students to follow in their footsteps. The toolkit also addresses post mobility support: how to help students link their experience to their future in the labour market? And what skills have students gained and how will they apply them in their careers? The toolkit is nearing completion and will be freely available in May 2026.
Looking beyond national context
Working together internationally with partners in five countries enables the project to look beyond national contexts. After all, the barriers students with disabilities and support needs face are similar from country to country. Administrative complexity in Erasmus+ applications is a shared experience. That said, countries do differ in their approach, “leading to some really interesting discussions in the project!” Luyt says. Take the Netherlands, for example. “VET institutions here already offer a relatively diverse range of mobility options. But we are also used to focussing strongly on independence. This is empowering but can also mean, for students with disabilities, a lack of much needed guidance on their stay abroad. As countries like Spain and Greece emphasise relationships and a sense of collectiveness, they may be better at individual guidance”
From barriers to belonging
The best part of the project so far? The Learning, Teaching and Training activities (LTTAs), Luyt says decidedly. On two occasions, the project brought together VET students with disabilities and teachers from the partnering countries. “Students are so much more independent than you might think”, says Luyt. “Yes, they need guidance and an accessible point of contact, but they are more resourceful than you might expect. That is the self-confidence that is built by international experience! One student from the Netherlands with visual impairment also joined this project meeting abroad. Challenges for him began as soon as he arrived at the airport. And he came along to Málaga, and explored the city, with its beautiful, old buildings that he could not see but could experience through a guide trained in inclusive city tours, who helped him touch and feel the city to experience what it is like,” Luyt illustrates.
From project to lasting impact
The IMVET project runs until September 2026, but effort and enthusiasm have only just begun. Partners are already exploring a possible follow-up to carry this work forward. What the current project makes clear is that European cooperation and investment in inclusivity deliver real results. Not just at a policy level, but on the ground. IMVET offers concrete tools that help young with disabilities, and additional support needs, enjoy a meaningful experience abroad just as much as others. The foundation it has laid is one that VET institutions across Europe can build on for years to come.
Aniek Luyt works as a senior advisor at ECIO, which is part of CINOP, and currently serves as the project leader of the KA220 Erasmus+ project 'Inclusive Mobility in VET'. She has extensive experience in coordinating and contributing to several Erasmus+ projects focused on inclusive education and the transition from education to employment for students with additional support needs. She also works for the European 'Euroguidance' programme. Her academic background is in intercultural communication and international collaboration.
Context
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