Professional Development with Erasmus+

The Learning Mobility of Individuals and its opportunities

With its attractive «Learning Mobility of Individuals» action, Erasmus+ makes a significant contribution to Hamburg University’s internationalisation efforts. For instance, teaching staff undertake short-term lectureships at partner universities, administrative staff participate in organised staff training weeks and job shadowing schemes and a large number of teachers and administrative staff attend language courses abroad through the programme. 

At UHH, these mobility programmes are promoted through multiple channels. Former participants share their experiences via newsletters or at meetings and special events, such as World Cafés, where interested individuals can interact with enthusiastic former participants. The format achieves significant visibility through peer-to-peer promotion. This consistently highlights the transformative impact of these programmes and their positive effects on the work of the university. 

The example of language courses

One example of Erasmus+ formats are the language trips, which are announced once a year and take place as part of educational leave. With demand significantly exceeding available resources, a selection procedure is now conducted in collaboration with the university’s human resources development department. This approach ensures that individuals from a wide range of departments and units have the opportunity to participate in language training and that professional development at the workplace is also considered. Additionally, the human resources development team specifically informs employees seeking career guidance about the programme. Following the successful launch of language courses for administrative staff, the programme has now been extended to include academic staff, supporting teaching staff who teach or plan to teach courses in English. 

The programme’s success is evident. Participants report feeling much more confident in intercultural interactions or conversations in English at their workplace after completing a mobility programme. Examples include colleagues from the human resources department, who regularly interact with English-speaking researchers, and library staff, who are required to assist an increasing number of students in English. 

Exchanges with partners, especially during Staff Weeks, promote international networking activities at the operational level and, in turn, benefit numerous processes within the university. Staff mobilities thus play a crucial role in making Hamburg a more attractive destination for international visitors, since employees’ first-hand international experiences cultivate a culture of hospitality at the university.