After a most special year, Rahel Gruber, European Advisor for Education, bids farewell to SwissCore and its funders and partners.
Exactly a year ago, in the midst of a pandemic, I started a new journey in the capital of Europe as European Advisor for Education at SwissCore. Responsible for following policy developments within the EU covering all education and training fields and beyond, I was provided with the unique opportunity of getting a close-up view into Swiss-European cooperation in this highly relevant field of work. I was lucky to arrive at a most exciting time when the new generation of EU programmes was presented; in particular, I enjoyed reporting on the developments around the new Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027) and recent initiatives such as the European Education Area and the European Skills Agenda.
It was a great pleasure to collaborate with so many committed and passionate people from the Brussels bubble and colleagues in Switzerland. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude towards our funders, partners, and, most of all, the SwissCore team itself, whom I have grown very fond of during the past year. Special thanks to our Head of Office and my mentor, Simon Marti, who has offered me valuable guidance and advice throughout my assignment. Owing to the many inspiring exchanges with the Swiss and European education, research and innovation community (Movetia and the IGLO working groups in particular), and despite the special circumstances, I look back at a time full of rewarding experiences and precious memories. I very much appreciated the many encounters and continuous mutual support, which made working from home a lot more enjoyable.
Last but not least, I am happy to announce that our former trainee Lucia Leoni will take over the position of European Advisor for Education ad interim as of 1 September 2021. I would like to present my best wishes to Lucia and her successor, whom SwissCore will welcome on 1 November (stay tuned!).
In the meantime, I wish the entire SwissCore team continued success. I look forward to our paths crossing again, be it in Switzerland or in Brussels!