An appraisal of the importance of graduates’ language skills and ERASMUS experiences

Abstract

This article discusses the importance of graduates’ language skills and their European Regional Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) experiences. The purpose of the research is to establish whether the potential benefits of ERASMUS participation for employability, particularly with regard to language skills, mean that organizations have a propensity to employ ex-ERASMUS students. The academic literature does not provide a conclusive answer regarding the specific benefits of student mobility participation. To test the claims that mobile students are statistically more employable on graduation, primary research was conducted on the perspectives of higher education institutions, businesses and students. The findings suggest that businesses do value language skills especially but put little emphasis on their origin.