Youth Mobility Scheme

Baroness Bull Excerpts

Wednesday 29th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

I would like to reassure the noble Lord that a teaching assistant exchange already exists, and I am more than happy to write to him with the details of that scheme. The Turing scheme has provided over 35,000 opportunities for young people, and in Wales and Scotland there are the Taith and SEEP schemes. As and when we rejoin Erasmus, that will provide easier pathways for educational opportunities across Europe.

[Baroness Bull (CB)]

My Lords, I follow my noble friends Lady Coussins and Lord Clancarty to create a hat trick by mentioning the less well-known Creative Europe. The Minister will know that it includes a Culture Moves Europe programme with a budget of €21 million over the current period to provide mobility grants for cultural professionals. Does she agree that alongside a youth exchange programme, this would be a valuable platform to enable the intercultural international exchange that enables personal development and career growth?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

I was doing so well in reassuring noble Lords, but I am afraid that I will have to give a level of disappointment to the noble Baroness. We are not currently considering rejoining the creative arm. However, 40% of touring artists are under the age of 35, meaning that they would be able to access work for up to three years, subject to the negotiations, via the youth mobility scheme. So that is one way in which we can encourage creative engagement.