techUK welcomes the UK’s return to Erasmus+ after long calling for re-engagement

techUK welcomes the announcement that the UK will rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ programme from 2027. This is a hugely positive step for the UK’s education, skills and talent ecosystem and a clear win for young British students.

techUK continued to push for the UK to become an associated third country in the Erasmus+ programme in its manifesto ahead of the 2024 UK General Election. This is a policy outcome that techUK has consistently and constructively called for over a number of years, reflecting the importance our members place on global mobility, world-class skills development and maintaining the UK’s competitiveness as a leading digital economy.

The UK’s rejoining of this important channel for international study, vocational placements and cultural exchange, will boost the skills pipeline that the UK tech employers rely on while also strengthening links between UK and EU research innovation communities. Reestablishing these people-to-people ties will help build a more globally competitive tech workforce and support collaboration on education and digital skills initiatives.

Since Brexit, techUK has advocated for a Youth Mobility Scheme with the EU and championed the idea that young people in the UK should have access to cultural exchange, education, and early career development with the EU. Britain already has similar agreements with 12 countries, including South Korea, Iceland, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which allows young people to study or work in the UK for up to two years.

While the UK government’s focus on reducing net migration is recognised, implementing such a scheme would strategically support the UK tech sector in tackling long-standing skills shortages by opening access to a wider pool of young European tech talent. At the same time, it would enable UK youth to gain valuable international experience in leading European tech hubs. Only 23,000 people came to the UK in 2023 under the UK’s existing youth mobility schemes. Such a scheme should be for 18–30-year-olds and have a cap to control the number of young people entering the country depending on the size of the country. The existing schemes have annual allowances, ranging from 100 visas for Andorra to 42,000 for Australia. This cap should be reviewed annually.

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