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  • Expedition @ Université Toulouse Capitole 2027

Expedition @ Université Toulouse Capitole 2027 – From Education to Employment in the Age of AI: Rethinking the Pre-Entry Labor Market

Title: From Education to Employment in the Age of AI: Rethinking the Pre-Entry Labor Market

Topics: human–AI collaboration; career guidance; AI-supported recruitment; inequalities; culture of work; trust in AI-based solutions; social transformation; entry into the labour market.

Date: 25 January 2027 – 29 January 2026

Format: IN PERSON at Université Toulouse Capitole, France & a single virtual introductory session beforehand.

Application Deadline: 26 October 2026 midnight CET

Language: English

Credits: after successful completion of the programme, participants will be awarded 3 ECTS

About the ENGAGE.EU Expedition

The ENGAGE.EU Expedition is a one-week intensive, international and multidisciplinary co-design programme and learning experience for students and PhDs, who work together with experts and mentors on finding solutions to real-life problems. It is a collaborative program, which focuses on creating value for society and uses the framework for inno-preneurship as guiding principle. They offer formal and informal learning in context together with ENGAGE.EU partners.

By taking part in this international co-design programme, students and PhDs can contribute to real-life societal transformations. Working in teams, they address challenges presented by ENGAGE.EU universities’ societal partners. Throughout the programme, they are guided towards knowledge-based, mission-oriented solutions using design thinking principles.

This initiative is part of an Impact Pathway led by Université Toulouse Capitole, Tilburg University, the University of Mannheim, and Luiss Guido Carli University. The pathway began with the Collaboration Circle (31 March–14 April 2026), followed by a second Collaboration Circle organised by Luiss (10–24 November 2026) where the participants have developed relevant research questions and challenges, that we will use for this Expedition+. The outcomes of this Expedition Week will then feed into the Impact Catalyst Studio, which will support the further development of the prototyped solution by examining selected European calls as case studies to understand requirements and expectations.

The Impact Pathway is designed to ensure that solutions maintain momentum over time, strengthening both their impact and their relevance within local and European contexts.

Gain insights into the previous Expedition Weeks:

Past Expedition Weeks

6 Videos

About the Challenges you will work on this Expedition Week+

A candidate does not enter the labor market alone. Before the first application, interview or job, candidates are already shaped by universities, public services, employers, peers. What happens when this pre-entry ecosystem begins to change with the growing use of AI?

At a local or European level, for many students and PhD candidates, AI is already becoming part of the everyday journey towards their next step: exploring career options, identifying jobs, understanding their skills, improving a CV, preparing an application or practicing for an interview. At the same time, employers are increasingly using AI throughout recruitment processes, while universities and public institutions are trying to understand how to support candidates in this changing environment. The transition from education to employment is therefore becoming a space where humans and AI increasingly interact, and where new questions about trust, responsibility, inequalities and human agency emerge. The Expedition builds on the Collaboration Circle held in April 2026, which was developed in collaboration with the Municipality of Toulouse and involved researchers and students. This work highlighted several questions that are already emerging in practice:

  • How do human advisors adapt when candidates arrive “pre-advised” by AI?
  • How can we help advisors continue to guide candidates in this new environment?
  • How and why do students and candidates decide when to trust AI over a human advisor?

Building on these questions, the Expedition will explore the pre-entry phase of the labor market from the perspectives of different actors, including municipalities, universities and employers, with three main challenges:

  1. Municipalities: How might they support people navigating the transition into the labor market as AI changes the way they access information, advice and opportunities?

Municipalities and public employment actors play an important role in helping people navigate education, training and employment. As candidates increasingly turn to AI for information and advice, their relationship with public services may change.

  • With the collaboration of Toulouse Métropole.
  1. Universities: How might they support students and PhD candidates in navigating an increasingly AI-mediated transition from education to employment?

Students and PhD candidates increasingly use AI to explore career options, identify their skills, search for opportunities and prepare applications. This changes the context in which university career advisors operate.

  • With the collaboration of ENGAGE.EU career services universities.
  1. Employers: How might they improve the experience of candidates as they prepare to enter an AI-mediated labor market?

The use of AI is not only changing what happens inside recruitment processes. It is also changing how candidates prepare themselves before they ever interact with an employer. Candidates may use AI to identify suitable roles, shape their professional profile, write applications, prepare for interviews or decide how to present their skills. At the same time, employers increasingly use AI to screen, assess and select candidates.

  • TBD

Expected Impact

For Participants

During the Expedition, participants will get the opportunity to step outside their usual academic environment and explore how AI is changing the labor market from different perspectives. They will meet local actors, discover Toulouse’s ecosystem, work with real-life challenges and exchange with students from different countries and disciplines. Through this experience, they will develop a better understanding of how AI is reshaping recruitment, career guidance and the transition into work and, more importantly, reflect on what this transformation means for the stakeholders. The Expedition is also an opportunity to experiment, challenge assumptions, learn from others and turn ideas into concrete possibilities.

For Partners

For local and European partners, the Expedition offers a space to step back from everyday practices and look at their challenges through new perspectives. Working with an international and interdisciplinary group of students and PhD researchers can bring fresh ideas, unexpected questions and new ways of looking at the impact of AI on the labor market. Partners will also have the opportunity to connect with the wider ENGAGE.EU community, exchange experiences across countries and explore new ideas together.

Would you like to submit a challenge or explore a collaboration opportunity for the Expedition? Please contact your ENGAGE.EU International Contact Point or the local Expedition team (engage-cellule@ut-capitole.fr).

Practical Information

Below you will find additional information related to your stay in Toulouse including the different aspects included in your stay during the summer school:

Meals

  • All lunches and one welcome dinner are provided to participants free of charge.

Cultural & Social Events

  • Opening and closing ceremonies
  • Opportunities for intercultural exchange through the social and cultural programme

Accomodation & Funding

Please note that accommodation is not included. The Université Toulouse Capitole provides accommodations suggestions, but students are not bound to these options. Some of these providers offer special rates, which will be communicated to the accepted applicants after the selection process has been completed.

Selected students may receive scholarships for participation in the ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week. Details will follow from the home university after being selected for the expedition week

Please note that UT Capitole students will not receive funding, as their participation does not involve any mobility or accommodation costs.

Your Profile

The ENGAGE.EU Expedition @ Université Toulouse Capitole is targeted at Bachelor’s students in their last year, Master and PhD students affiliated with ENGAGE.EU partner universities. Participants of any citizenship and any field of study who are enrolled at an ENGAGE.EU partner university are welcome to apply.

Application

To apply for the ENGAGE.EU Expedition you should provide: 

  • A short letter explaining your motivation for applying to the ENGAGE.EU Expedition+.
  • Curriculum vitae (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad, other relevant skills and experiences).

Selection

Submitted applications are evaluated by the academics and staff working in the ENGAGE.EU Labs. Candidates will be evaluated based on their motivation letter and CV. In order to ensure equal participation among students from the different partner universities, the selection committee will aim at choosing three participants from each partner university. Final decisions also consider a range of criteria for cohort composition, including but not limited to disciplinary balance, institutional diversity, and demographic diversity.

Further notes

Applications must be submitted by 26 October 2026, at midnight CET. All documents must be in English, except for the academic records (which can be in any language of the partner universities). 

Results will be communicated by 16 November 2026.  

For further information and to submit a topic/issue or a collaboration opportunity, please contact: lea.ernst-schonberg-bourblanc@ut-capitole.fr

Application Form

Please submit your application materials HERE

Need help with eJourney?

For technical issues or problems with eJourney, please contact ejourney-support@uni-mannheim.de or visit the eJourney Online Help.
For questions regarding the application process or the offers, please get in touch with your ENGAGE.EU contact or ERASMUS office at your university.

Disclaimers

Disclaimer 1: The calendar of the in-presence Expedition activity might be incompatible with some academic calendars of Erasmus, Exchange Partners, Double Degree or other mobility programs. Students interested in both programs are advised to check academic calendars accordingly. 

Disclaimer 2: This email is sent to manage and facilitate your participation in the educational and/or extracurricular activities organized by the University.