NI students urged to join UK's Erasmus replacement

NI students will be able to access both the Erasmus and Turing schemes.

Students, colleges and universities in Northern Ireland have been urged to take part in the UK replacement for the Erasmus scheme.

Following Brexit the UK decided not to remain in Erasmus - a European Union (EU) programme that helps students study in other countries.

Instead, the UK government has replaced it with a new scheme named after the mathematician Alan Turing.

NI students will be able to access both the Erasmus and Turing schemes.

That is because the Irish government has said it will enable students in Northern Ireland to continue to participate in Erasmus.

Irish Universities Minister Simon Harris is expected to outline how that will happen in the coming months.

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Students from Northern Ireland will need to temporarily register with Irish higher education institutions to participate.

However, on Saturday, the UK government has revealed more details of the Turing scheme.

A website with funding and eligibility details has gone live to enable universities, colleges and schools to prepare applications to the programme.

NI Secretary Brandon Lewis said Turing would enable students from all backgrounds in Northern Ireland to study and work abroad.

He said the new scheme would boost access to overseas study.

"I look forward to continuing to engage with Northern Ireland education institutions, so that as many of our students as possible, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are able to participate in this scheme, allowing them to meet like-minded people from across the globe and enhance their employability prospects," he said.

Overseas placements and exchanges under the Turing scheme are due to begin in September 2021.

The UK government said Turing would target students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

They have also set a target to recruit more international students to UK universities.

However the governments in Scotland and Wales want their students to have the same continued access to Erasmus as students in Northern Ireland have.