The EU-GRAD project, funded under the European Union Lifelong Learning Programme, is celebrating its international seminar next 15 November 2011 in Madrid, Spain. This seminar will serve to present the results of the National Case Studies (France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain) and Conclusion Report carried out by the EU-GRAD consortium in the first semester of 2011. It will also be an open forum where participants will have the opportunity to debate about current mobility trends in Europe.

The EU-GRAD international seminar will take place next 15 November in Madrid. The seminar, which is entitled, 'Learning & training mobility in Europe: Drivers for total mobility of university graduates', has as main aim to present the results of the National Case Studies (France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain) and Conclusion Report carried out by the EU-GRAD consortium in the first semester of 2011. It will also be an open forum where participants will have the opportunity to debate about current mobility trends in Europe. Open discussion and brain-storming on the barriers to total postgraduate mobility and the possible guidelines and drivers needed to overcome them will be at the core of the workshops to be held in Madrid.

In particular, the objective is to exchange ideas, good practices and evidence-based conclusions on postgraduate learning and training mobility, and to obtain useful input for the development of the next stages of the EU-GRAD project: identification of mechanisms and procedures needed to achieve total postgraduate mobility, elaboration of proposals and recommendations to promote total mobility across the EU, develop the framework and design the guidelines and content for a EU postgraduate learning and training mobility programme based on close university-business cooperation, and set up an online university-business network community on EU mobility experiences and good practices.

Increasing employability and mobility of young graduates is a clear priority for the European Commission, as well as for European business, higher education institutions, and many other organizations which support and foster schemes with this objective in mind. However, there are many barriers that hinder full development of “total mobility” of EU postgraduate students wishing to undergo transnational training or work programmes. The EU-GRAD project, funded under the European Union Lifelong Learning Programme, was conceived to identify these barriers and develop guidelines and recommendations to facilitate total mobility for postgraduate students across Europe through a combined training and internship model based on strong university-business cooperation.