After four years of work, SAAM’s results on Vocational Education and Training mobilities between Africa and Europe are now accessible to everyone
Between 2019 and 2024, the SAAM project, funded by the European Commission, established a groundbreaking vocational education mobility scheme between Africa and Europe. Now officially concluded, the project has launched its results platform, offering valuable resources for those interested in the future of VET and fostering internationalisation. As the first-ever pilot project funded by the European Commission to promote vocational training mobility between Africa and Europe, SAAM represents a historic milestone in educational cooperation and provides crucial insights for future collaboration.
SAAM, a project funded with 4 million euros by the European Commission, aimed to enhance the quality of Vocational Education and Training (VET) through international mobility. Over 30 organisations from 8 EU and 16 African countries collaborated to explore the feasibility of a programme similar to Erasmus+ VET between the two continents. SAAM fostered knowledge exchange, skill development, and the alignment of VET systems across Africa and Europe. “SAAM made tangible how, through education, we can build a consolidated collaboration among many different cultures from two different continents,” says Béatrice Bellet, SAAM Project Coordinator.
Phases of the Project:
- Phase 1: European staff visited African VET centres to understand the local systems.
- Phase 2: African staff travelled to European VET centres.
- Phase 3: African students participated in mobilities, gaining experience in European VET centres and companies.
SAAM managed to achieve 250 staff mobilities and to move 200 students from Africa to Europe for a one-month stay in EU centres or, in the second flow, a 
two-month stay combining learning at the centre with internships in actual companies. From this mobility scheme, the project partners learned many lessons that can be seen in the results available on saam.global.
Results accessible to everyone:
- Understanding the African VET System:
SAAM conducted a comprehensive report on the African State of Art in VET to refine learning, teaching and curriculum development. You can download the complete report on the SAAM results webpage.
- Capacity Building – Internationalisation:
SAAM developed a toolkit to guide educational centres through the internationalisation process, offering detailed information on European funding and steps to establish an International Department. The project also hosted three seminars—two in Brussels and one in Bilbao—to train participants in managing international mobility and building strong partnerships. On saam.global, you can find the toolkit and the reports from each seminar.
- Capacity Building – Intercontinental Mobility:
This section on the results website includes crucial documents like Mobility Guidelines, which outline the steps to ensure successful intercontinental exchanges. Additionally, the Intercultural Handbook offers advice and activities to help teachers prepare students for their mobility experiences in Europe.
