Piktalent

    HEI Internships · Erasmus+ Mobility

    University Internships & Erasmus+ HEI Mobility Programs

    Degree-aligned international internships for university students — typically 2 to 6 months in business, IT, marketing, engineering and design. Piktalent handles matching, documentation and in-country support end-to-end.

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    Tell us your dates, sectors and group size — 5-minute form, written reply within 48 working hours.

    Operated by The Student Mobility Group — 15+ years placing higher-education students across 32 European cities.

    What Is an HEI Mobility Program?

    An HEI (Higher Education Institution) mobility programme is an academic-aligned international internship for university students, funded under Erasmus+ KA131 or KA171 (see the official Erasmus+ Programme Guide). Each placement is individually matched to the student's degree programme — most commonly business, IT, marketing, engineering and design — and typically runs 2 to 6 months (extendable up to 12 under KA131). Universities organise placements as semester or yearly cohorts, but every student is matched 1:1 to a verified host. Piktalent sources hosts, drafts the Learning Agreement for Traineeships (LA-T) directly inside the Online Learning Agreement (OLA-T) platform, maps tasks to ESCO occupation codes, arranges accommodation and insurance, and provides 24/7 in-country support until the Europass mobility certificate is issued. Most placements run within Erasmus+ Programme Countries; selected fields are also available in the USA on request.

    Last updated

    University intern working on a laptop in a bright, modern European corporate office.
    Program structure

    Typical Program Structure

    Standard configuration for a higher-education internship placement under Erasmus+ KA131.

    Duration

    2 to 6 months (extendable to 12 under KA131) — aligned with the academic semester or summer window.

    Format

    Individually matched 1:1 to a verified host — typically organised by the university as a semester or yearly cohort.

    Fields

    Business administration, IT & software, digital marketing, engineering, design, communications.

    Workload

    30–40 hours per week, governed by a Learning Agreement (LA-T / OLA-T) defining tasks and competences.

    Recognition

    ECTS recognition by the home university; Europass mobility certificate at completion.

    Funding

    Eligible under KA131 (Programme Countries) or KA171 (Partner Countries) individual support.

    What participants learn

    Skills Participants Build Abroad

    Competences your students develop on placement — mapped to ESCO and EQF so they map cleanly into your reporting and ECTS recognition.

    • Field-specific applied skills (CRM, data analysis, design tools, codebases) tied to ESCO occupation codes
    • Professional English and host-country language at EQF level 4–6, evidenced by host evaluation
    • Transversal competences: project scoping, delivery against measurable objectives, professional reporting
    • Cross-cultural collaboration in real European workplaces — documented for EU Survey responses
    • Europass-certified evidence pack (host evaluation, attendance, learning outcomes) ready for ECTS recognition
    • Sector exposure your career office can cite in graduate employability and KA131 final reports
    Audience

    Who This Program Is For

    Universities

    Higher education institutions organising Erasmus+ traineeships for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

    International Offices

    University international relations departments managing outgoing mobility flows.

    Faculty Coordinators

    Academic staff coordinating department-level traineeship programmes.

    Doctoral Schools & Research Groups

    PhD programmes and research group leaders organising thesis-aligned or applied-research placements abroad.

    Included

    What's Included

    Every programme includes comprehensive services managed end-to-end by Piktalent.

    Host Sourcing & Matching

    Verified hosts mapped to ESCO codes and the student's degree programme. Field availability checked per destination before any commitment.

    Accommodation

    Vetted student apartments or shared residences within commuting distance of the host. Move-in coordinated to placement start date.

    Insurance

    Travel and health insurance compliant with Erasmus+ minimum coverage requirements, including third-party liability.

    Language Support

    Pre-departure briefing on OLS (Online Linguistic Support) and host-language essentials. Paid in-person courses available on request.

    LA-T / OLA-T & Documentation

    Learning Agreement drafted in OLA-T with the host's named signatory, plus Europass certificate, host evaluation and attendance log formatted for Beneficiary Module upload.

    24/7 In-Country Support

    Local coordinator per city plus a 24/7 emergency line. Documented week 2 and week 6 check-ins included in your final report.

    Process

    How It Works

    01

    Briefing (Week 0)

    Kickoff call with the International Office: fields, student profiles, calendar window, target destinations. Output: scoping document and indicative pricing.

    02

    Matching (Weeks 1–6)

    Host sourcing, vetting and 1:1 student–host matching. LA-T drafted and routed through OLA-T. Output: confirmed placement and signed Learning Agreement.

    03

    Setup (Weeks 6–8)

    Accommodation, insurance, arrival logistics and pre-departure briefing. Output: arrival pack and on-the-ground coordinator handoff.

    04

    Mobility & Closure

    24/7 support, week 2 + week 6 check-ins, host evaluation and Europass certificate issuance. Output: final reporting evidence pack for the Beneficiary Module.

    Real scenarios

    How this programme runs in practice

    Three concrete institutional or participant situations and the operational path Piktalent runs for each.

    Mid-sized university running 80 outgoing traineeships per year

    An EU university International Office runs 80 KA131 SMT placements annually across business, IT and design, with 4 FTE coordinators stretched thin during the spring selection peak. Piktalent takes operational ownership of host sourcing, OLA-T drafting, accommodation, insurance and 24/7 in-country support. The university keeps academic recognition, OLS briefings and Beneficiary Module ownership.

    Outcome

    Coordinator hours per placement drop from ~12 to ~4. EU Survey scores increase 0.6 points. The next ECHE renewal cites operational quality as a strength.

    Engineering faculty placing 22 students in CAD and simulation roles

    A Faculty of Engineering needs hosts that can supervise CAD, simulation and applied-physics tasks for 22 final-year students — niches where the university's existing partner network has only 5 hosts. Piktalent maps the field requirements to ESCO codes, sources 18 additional vetted hosts in Germany, Netherlands and Spain, and pre-aligns task plans with the faculty's competence framework.

    Outcome

    All 22 students placed in field-aligned hosts. Three new IIAs signed. Faculty board approves 6 ECTS recognition uniformly across the cohort.

    First-year ECHE holder running its first 12-student SMT cohort

    A small HEI received its ECHE last year and is running its first 12-student outgoing traineeship cohort with one part-time coordinator and no host network. Piktalent runs a turnkey cohort: 12 vetted hosts, accommodation, OLA-T support, pre-departure briefing, in-mobility check-ins at week 2 and week 6, and final reporting evidence pack.

    Outcome

    100% completion. EU Survey score 4.6/5. The HEI uses the cohort as a reference case in its next KA131 application and increases its Programme Country envelope.

    Decision framework

    Is this the right programme for you?

    HEI Mobility Programs work for ECHE-holding universities running traineeships under KA131 or KA171. If your situation is different — VET cohorts, short observation, no ECHE yet, or fully bespoke flows — another Piktalent programme is a better fit.

    Choose this programme when…

    • You are an ECHE-holding HEI sending higher-education students on Erasmus+ traineeships under KA131 or KA171.
    • You need full operational support: host sourcing, vetting, accommodation, in-mobility monitoring and reporting evidence.
    • Your International Office wants to keep academic recognition and grant management while outsourcing operations.
    • You want a single per-participant invoice that maps cleanly to KA131 budget categories.
    • You need flexibility on academic-calendar start dates and individual student profiles.
    • You understand Piktalent does not handle ECTS recognition, OLS or Beneficiary Module entries — those stay with the university by design.

    Consider another programme when…

    • VET Mobility Programs — If you are a VET school or training centre, the workflow, learning agreement template and durations are different.
    • KA121 / KA122 Mobility — If your organisation operates under accredited KA121 or short-term KA122 group projects rather than KA131 individual flows.
    • Custom Mobility Programs — If you don't hold an ECHE yet, or need mixed-format mobility, niche sectors or multi-country splits beyond standard SMT.
    • Job Shadowing — If your goal is short, observation-based mobility for staff or students rather than supervised work placements.
    Destinations

    Recommended Destinations

    Spain
    Italy
    Portugal
    Germany
    France
    Ireland
    Poland
    Netherlands
    Browse Erasmus+ Mobility Destinations
    Why Piktalent

    Why Institutions Choose Piktalent

    120+
    Universities served
    8–12 wks
    Briefing → confirmed placement
    10 days
    Mid-mobility recovery SLA
    4.6 / 5
    Avg. EU Survey score
    Degree-aligned matching, not whatever host is available — measurable lift in EU Survey scores and ECTS recognition rates.
    Hosts mapped to ESCO codes and your faculty's competence framework, so academic recognition closes without renegotiation.
    Stronger graduate employability evidence for your career office: every student leaves with a Europass certificate and a named European host on their CV.
    Single per-participant invoice mapped to KA131 organisational and individual support categories — clean for finance and National Agency audit.
    International Office workload drops sharply (host sourcing, accommodation, insurance, monitoring) while academic ownership and grant management stay with you.
    High completion and satisfaction rates supported by 24/7 in-country coordinators, week 2 and week 6 check-ins, and a documented mid-mobility recovery SLA.
    Resources

    Related Resources

    Internship Fields

    Browse degree-aligned fields: business, IT, marketing, engineering and more.

    Destination Countries

    32 European destinations with host-network depth, cost and sector notes.

    How Erasmus+ Mobility Works

    End-to-end process: from KA action selection to Europass certificate.

    Best Erasmus+ Providers in Europe

    Evaluation criteria for choosing an operational mobility partner.

    FAQ

    Frequently Asked Questions

    For Universities, VET Centres & Coordinators

    Request HEI internship placements

    Tell us about your faculty, target fields and academic-calendar window. We return a host-sourcing plan and indicative per-participant pricing within 48 hours.

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