The Scottish and Welsh governments have expressed fears over the future of the Erasmus student exchange programme in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

MIKE HEDGES EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT LACK OF CLARITY ABOUT FUTURE OF ERASMUS STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME.



Speaking from his assembly office in Morriston, The Swansea East AM said… ‘The lack of clarity about this scheme concerns me greatly. I have met many students who have used this scheme to study abroad and who have greatly enhanced their education experience through doing so. Learning a language ought to be central to people’s education given that we live in an increasingly interdependent world, and we ought to be encouraging as many people as possible to take advantage of chances to study abroad. I hope that the UK Government responds positively to the letter sent by the Education Ministers.’

The Scottish and Welsh governments have expressed fears over the future of the Erasmus student exchange programme in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Both administrations have jointly written to the UK education secretary to express their concerns.

The EU programme helps students study in other countries.

The UK government has guaranteed payments for successful applicants and said it is "exploring participation" in a successor scheme. The current scheme however cannot accept applicants for courses beyond 2020, in part because of Brexit uncertainties.

Erasmus is an EU-funded programme which enables students to either study part of their degree or undertake a work placement abroad.

About 53% of UK university students who learn abroad do so through the initiative.

Some countries which are not in the EU - including Iceland, Norway and Serbia - also take part.