A Counselling Model for the Promoting Career Development of Erasmus Mobility Participants

The objective of this research paper is the elaboration and expert assessment of a counselling model to develop and support the careers of Erasmus mobility participants. EU funded student mobility programmes significantly contribute to the development of a European identity for young people, however, the link between learning mobility and career has been little explored as yet. This paper is written as a research paper. The field study was conducted at the University of Latvia. This is the first study in Latvia that explores the application and pertinence of career counselling in Erasmus student mobility.

The lessons learned through the study of available support for Erasmus mobility participants confirm that students require career counselling to:

• consciously choose mobility as a career development initiative, raising the return on investment of time and resources,

• be able to submit more convincing applications to potential placement providers,

• better recognize and articulate the experience and knowledge acquired during the mobility experience and effectively reflect these to potential traineeship, scholarships or employment providers, or when applying for their next education program.

The counselling model created for the development and support of the careers of Erasmus mobility participants elaborated within this paper can serve as an instrument for the evaluation and improvement of career guidance services.