Disadvantaged groups in transnational placement projects

"Inclusion" is a key issue in European education and training policies, and should consequently also be applied to the possibilities of access to transnational mobility projects undertaken for learning purposes. Yet many times these involve only the most competent and motivated of the potential target group. How do we involve so called "disadvantaged" persons in stays abroad, and what are the specific benefits of these activities for this particular target group? This study investigates these issues on the basis of case studies of 8 projects and programmes from 5 Member States, which all concern disadvantaged groups and placements abroad. It concludes that there are great potential benefits to be reaped from such activities - notably in the shape of increased personal competencies - but that they also pose specific challenges to the pedagogical set-up of the projects. A period abroad will not in itself produce the desired effects, unless it is underpinned by a consistent pedagogical methodology, which covers not only the placement, but also the time before and after the stay.