A Simple User Guide for Erasmus plus Teaching and Training. The Case of the University of Catania

The international exchanges for teaching performed by lecturers of higher education institutions in any academic field, as well as the mobility for training carried out by administrative staff in the form of participation in events or observation periods in the workplace, is a strategic activity of the Erasmus+programme. The action is of great interest for the scientific community and has created great expectations, because staff mobility could well be a significant incentive not only for individual professional growth, but also a boost for the development of higher education institutions' international policies. Its impact, in fact, can reflect on the institution as a whole, contributing to performing better institutional strategies and smooth governance, as well as strengthened international cooperation. The results of Erasmus staff mobility in European universities have been examined in various studies such as the EU Erasmus+Annual Reports and the REALISE project. This paper intends to raise the awareness on the importance of these international exchanges involving higher education institution staff and to provide some guidelines with which to develop a successful activity within the next Erasmus+programme edition. An increased participation to this action will provide academic and administrative staff with valuable opportunities to develop new expertise, improve language proficiency and develop intercultural skills thus broadening professional horizon.