BIFE Erasmus+ Event '21
Many of BIFE’s students were getting ready recently at BIFE’s Erasmus+ Event to head to Spain and Finland as part of their work experience internships. Whether it be serving cocktails in the plush restaurants and bars of old town Malaga, tour guiding in Helsinki or serving up award winning tapas in Valladolid, Spain, whatever the role, they will come back with loads of experience and memories that will last a lifetime.
It was the Irishman Peter Sutherland who is described as the “Father of Erasmus” when he was appointed Ireland’s EU commissioner in 1985. Erasmus was his brainchild and it has become a lasting legacy for learners the world over.
Where once Erasmus may have been seen as a handy passport to foreign language learning, Erasmus+ is a lot more than that, offering students the opportunity to learn and grow together, regardless of borders and to develop the essential skills necessary to live and work effectively in a global world. It offers students the opportunity to expand their horizons.
“Learners should not limit their horizons to Ireland” according to the Erasmus+ project manager and BIFE Deputy principal Gabriel Allen. “Remember, we are all Europeans. Travel is very easy now. It’s as cheap and easy to go to Paris as it is to go to Galway. These are the options that learners have now. The Erasmus+ programme offers the opportunity to learn a new language, to meet people from different countries, to experience new cultures and to make new friends for life. The memories that learners make from their Erasmus+ experience will stay with them for the rest of your lives”.
