Erasmus Plus Mobilities and the Development of Soft Skills:A Key Driver of Student Engagement in International Experiences

Internationalization in higher education serves as a strategic driver of development for both institutions and stakeholders.A key instrument in this process is student mobility funded by the Erasmus Plus Programme, which significantly enhances professional training and personal growth by fostering the acquisition of both hard and soft skills.This paper focuses on transversal competencies, especially soft skills, developed through participation in international study or internship mobilities.Promoting and recognizing these competencies could increase student engagement in international educational opportunities.Furthermore, the paper systematically presents a set of policies at local and national levels aimed at supporting the development of transversal skills among all students.Despite these efforts, the research concludes that the higher education system still lacks a unified methodology for the formal recognition and certification of these competencies.