Going abroad for higher education studies requires thorough preparation and research, be it for a full degree or only a semester or two. Yet, students are often unaware of the opportunities that await them by the time they graduate from upper secondary school. This is why Rannís has launched an outreach campaign aiming at raising awareness of mobility opportunities in higher education among young people at the secondary school level.

Rannís is a one-stop-shop for national, Nordic and European educational programmes and services: Erasmus+, Europass, Erasmus for young entrepreneurs, Eurodesk, Nordplus and an Info Centre for Studies Abroad. The advantage of promoting the different opportunities to this target group in one go is twofold: First, it creates synergies in promotional activities and takes into account the diverse background of students and their career aspirations. Secondly, it allows them to make informed choices about their next steps, gives time for good preparation for those wanting to go abroad and supports the transition from upper secondary to higher education.

From January to April 2019, Rannís staff visited around 700 students in close to half of all upper secondary schools in the country with a specific focus on rural areas. Interactive sessions have given students the platform to discuss, brainstorm and ask about opportunities abroad based on their needs and aims. The results are already tangible: the traffic to the websites of Rannís has increased by 25% from the previous year and the Info Centre is busier than ever. The school year is almost at the end, but for Rannís, the journey has just started.