Session
✅ Included for all participants
Traineeships were meant to be Europe's bridge between learning and work, yet too often they fail to deliver meaningful learning or fair opportunities. This session will challenge institutions to rethink traineeships as a cornerstone of the European skills revolution: data-informed, learner-centred and impactful. Discover how collaboration, innovation and evidence can redefine the quality and purpose of international traineeships.
Marco is the IT Manager at the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), where he leads the strategic digital transformation of the organisation and its associated Erasmus+ initiatives. He holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. Before taking on his leadership role at ESN, Marco built a strong technical foundation working as a Data Engineer within the consultancy sector.
In his position as IT Manager, Marco is responsible for overseeing ESN's IT infrastructure, designing its comprehensive digital ecosystem, and managing all organisational web platforms. Among other digitalisation initiatives, he is currently in charge of the redesign and launch of ErasmusCareers.org, ESN's platform for quality Erasmus+ traineeships and international job postings for Erasmus+ alumni. Driven by a recognition of the vital role that technology plays in modern youth mobility, his primary mission is to create an intuitive, smooth, and user-friendly digital journey for students. Ultimately, Marco aims to modernise international mobility processes, making participation in exchange programmes as seamless and accessible as the click of a button.
Dr Patrice Twomey is the Director of Cooperative Education and Careers at the University of Limerick (UL). A member of the Global Strategy Council of the World Association for Cooperative and Work-Integrated Learning, Patrice is responsible for leading UL’s employability provision. This includes the Cooperative Education programme, one of the largest undergraduate work placement programmes in Europe. Her professional interests are in the areas of work-integrated learning, global competencies and learning, graduate employability, and regional economic development. She has presented on these topics at a wide range of national and international conferences. Patrice is a graduate of University College Cork, postgraduate of the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP), and doctoral graduate of the University of Bath.
Albert Sesé Ballart is DG EAC’s Head of Sector for the Erasmus+ Programme team in the Higher Education Unit since January 2026. Prior to this, he was the inter-institutional relations coordinator as well as responsible for policies with the Western Balkans at the same DG. He holds a degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Social and Public Policy, bringing extensive expertise in EU policy development, programme implementation, and inter-institutional dialogue. In his role, he engages with Member States, national agencies, and higher education stakeholders to advance European mobility and internationalisation objectives within higher education.
