The project proposal “Agricultural Skills Go Sustainable” (AgriSkills) is based on various local, regional, national and European debates and development processes - The ongoing structural change in agriculture that requires new forms of vocational training and further education, - A critique of today‘s vocational training in combination with demands for a stronger orientation in the political sphere towards vocational training for sustainable development and organic farming - A European debate about professional and personell competencies as well as transparency and implementation in national education systems. The aim of this project is the development of an educational module and its testing, that meets the requirements of vocational training for sustainable development in agriculture and that is applicable in various countries with very different systems of vocational training can be used and transferred (at first: Germany, Spain, Bulgaria). With the practical and theoretical findings of the project the stakeholders involved will be enabled to qualify the debate about the development of vocational training towards sustainability on local, regional, national and European level. The “Educational module „Agri Skills – BBNE“ discusses exemplarily the conversion of conventional to sustainable production in stock breeding (in cattle and pigs) taking into account economic, ecological and social dimensions. Besides the professional competencies a special emphasis is put on social competencies being particularly important for sustainable education. The strategic partnership involves three trade unions, three educational institutions, one chamber of agriculture and one organic farm. The educational module is developed together, by 1 - 3 experts of each of the partner organisations. The educational module consists out of 5 high quality products: - guidelines/manual (print) for trainers - training program for students (print) - learning software (APP); open license - analysis of practical test /study - helpful arguments for social partners The products will be produced and disseminated electronically and as print (excluding the learning software). The testing of the educational module takes place in all three partner countries, taking into account the different structure of agriculture in East and West Germany. In 1-2 one-week courses 10-15 young professionals/students of agriculture will participate. The project is divided into ten work/production steps. During the first four work steps/phases the educational module will be developed, in two further steps it will be tested, then the results will be evaluated in step 7. After that the educational module will be evaluated as a whole and adjusted if necessary. Two work steps are foreseen for dissemination of project results and the last step will be scheduled for the report. During the project period it is envisaged to hold five transboundary meetings and one transnational conference for dissemination of results. The products will be used on various levels: The guidelines/manual (print) for trainers, the training program for students, learning software (APP) and the analysis of the practical test will be used most on local and regional level in schools and other educational institutions in practical training as well as in the political discussion about education. The partners involved (Educational Institutions, Chamber of Agriculture) will use the module in the future and disseminate it via their specific networks. Independent educational institutions are able to raise funds via the ELER programme (European Agricultural Fund). The argumentation aid for social partners will be disseminated in the political discussions about education on regional, national and European level and is meant to qualify the discussions by the practical experiences from the educational module. The educational module AgriSkills – BBNE and its dissemination will - on the longer run - support the difficult transformation of national and European education policies into the direction of more sustainable development in agriculture.
The project “Agricultural Skills Go Sustainable” (AgriSkills) is based on several local, regional, national, and European discussions and development processes: • The ongoing structural change in agriculture, which requires new training forms, • a criticism of current education coupled with the demand for a stronger orientation of vocational training towards sustainable development and organic agriculture, • a European discussion concerning professional and personal skills as well as their transparency and implementation in national education systems, and • a demand for more mobility that can enable students to acquire European skills. The goal of the project was to develop and test an educational package that meets the requirements for vocational education in the field of sustainable development in agriculture and can be applied in different countries with quite different vocational education systems (for the time being Germany, Spain, and Bulgaria). Using the practical and theoretical findings, the participating stakeholders have qualified and will continue to qualify discussions concerning the development of vocational education aimed at sustainability at the local, regional, national, and European levels. The “Educational Package AgriSkills – Vocational Education for Sustainable Development (BBNE)” is comprised of a one-week educational package dealing with the subject of the sustainable production of beef cattle and fattening pigs with a focus on animal husbandry, feeding, and marketing while taking into account their economic, ecological, and social dimensions. In addition to professional skills, necessary personal and social skills, networked thinking, responsibility, and teamwork that are particularly important aspects of sustainable education are also imparted. The strategic partnership included three trade unions, three educational institutions, a chamber of agriculture, and an organic farm, and together they developed the educational package. One to three individuals from each establishment were involved in the process. The educational package consists of five high-value products: • Instructor Guide • Educational Programme (teaching materials) • Open-license learning software • Practical Test Analysis • Supporting Arguments for Social Partners All of these products are available at http://agriskills.eu – some of them are available in printed form. The educational package was tested in all three partner countries. Fifteen young employees and/or students, most coming from the agricultural field, participated in three one-week test runs. The project can be broken down into five work stages: • the development of the educational package • the testing of the educational package • the implementation and evaluation of the practical tests as well as the modification of the educational package • dissemination • reporting Six cross-border meetings were held and varying distribution activities were carried out over the course of the project’s duration. The products are to be implemented at various levels. The Instructor Guide, the Educational Programme (teaching materials), learning software, and Practical Test Analysis will be applied at the local and regional levels in schools and other educational institutions as well as during hands-on training and in discussions of educational policy. The participating partners (educational institutions, chambers) will continue to use the package and disseminate it among their contacts. The Supporting Arguments for Social Partners will gain a wider distribution in educational policy discussions at the regional, national, and European levels where, together with the practical experiences from the educational package, they are intended to qualify these discussions. In the mid-term, the products developed as a part of AgriSkills will represent an important contribution to educational policy discussions at the national and local levels concerning vocational education for sustainable development.