According to the Erasmus Impact Study launched by the European Commission in 2012, 85% of students study or train abroad to enhance their employability and more than 90% of students reported an improvement in their transversal skills. On average, 92% of employers are looking for transversal skills, on top of knowledge in their field (91%) and relevant work experience (78%). On top of recognising mobility programmes as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, ESN also provides opportunities for self-development for our volunteers by organising workshops and training events where they can gain and develop their skills. Afterwards, they use those newly acquired skills to advance their local community, as well as create additional learning opportunities for their international and exchange students. They quite often organise career fairs and various soft skills related events for local youth, however, they also advocate at their universities for their members to receive ECTS points for their volunteer efforts. ESN has its own internal training programme, Eduk8, aimed at training the members in the field of non-formal education which can also serve as an added value to their CV. Additionally, ESN hasn’t only developed ErasmusIntern, a platform which connects future interns and internship providers in assuring quality internships, but also provides various professional opportunities in the Headquarters, such as internships, European Voluntary Service and European Solidarity Corps placements.
