Статьи

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31713/ve2202619

Abstract

This study examines the experience of Ukrainian participants in the Erasmus+ programme. The findings indicate that participation in Erasmus+ is predominantly short-term for most respondents and is implemented mainly through youth exchanges and short training activities. The motivational structure of participation is shaped primarily by personal development, the acquisition of international experience, the development of intercultural and soft skills, and the improvement of foreign language competences, while career- and income-related motives play a secondary role. At the same time, the majority of respondents perceive participation in Erasmus+ as an investment in their own human capital, which confirms that mobility is viewed as part of a longer-term life and professional trajectory. The analysis of career and migration intentions shows that participation in Erasmus+ does not automatically translate into aspirations for long-term residence abroad. For a substantial share of participants, international mobility serves as a means of temporary expansion of educational and professional experience rather than as a mechanism of emigration. Most respondents express readiness to apply the experience gained through mobility in Ukraine, indicating the potential for circulation of knowledge and skills between the international and national contexts. At the level of societal perceptions, respondents predominantly assess the impact of academic mobility of young people on Ukraine’s economy as positive, while at the same time clearly recognising the possible risks associated with this process. The most significant threats are perceived to be brain drain, declining motivation to study at Ukrainian universities, demographic losses, and a reduction in labour potential. The qualitative analysis of open-ended responses reveals a clear demand for a systemic state policy in the field of academic mobility, oriented towards aligning educational programmes with real economic needs, reforming higher education, developing the labour market, supporting innovation, and creating conditions for the effective use of international experience in Ukraine. In this context, academic mobility is regarded by respondents as an effective instrument for human capital development only if it is integrated into broader strategies of economic and institutional development of the state.

Author Biographies