In the contemporary globalized economy European companies purchase or build subsidiaries in emerging countries as part of their international development strategy. For companies in the agricultural sector the assurance of the security of their raw material supply areas is a key factor of a company’s international success. It is very difficult for European agronomy graduates to transpose their know-how in emerging countries given the often enormous climatic, technical and cultural disparities which they face there. In addition, there are many obstacles to recruiting local people for this function. European regulations and standards are often seen as complex in emerging countries and local producers collaborate more easily with Europeans whom they perceive as legitimate in their demands to change long-held practices because they can guarantee stable contracts. With this in mind this project has two primary objectives: 1. To develop a 10 ECTS teaching module to train cohorts of young European graduates in the knowledge and competencies necessary to assure the security of raw material supply areas in emerging countries 2. Using the livestock and dairy sector as a pilot this project aims to develop a methodology to assure the security of raw material supply areas in emerging counties which can be transposed to all agricultural sectors. The project involves the participation of 3 European HEIs specialists in agronomy, animal science and livestock management ( Groupe ESA , Angers, France, Stichting Aeres Groep, The Netherlands, Universitatea de Stinte Agronomice si Medicina Veterinara, Bucuresti, Romania) and a major European dairy company ( Lactalis Group, France). The project will begin by the creation and running of a European-wide survey of dairy companies operating internationally to make explicit the knowledge and competencies required by those companies in order to assure the security of their raw material supply areas in emerging countries. Using the results of this survey the participating HEIs and company will construct a 10 ECTS teaching module in order to train a cohort of 15 students annually to take up positions of management in the milk collect business for European companies operating in emerging countries. The target student group includes vocational BSc and MSc level students, back-to- work unemployed people and professionals seeking career re-orientation. The teaching module will begin with a one-week distance learning teaching unit in order to check and assure the necessary technical prerequisites. The 4-week in-house teaching will include the exploitation of a case-study to be developed in the preparatory phase in an emerging country. The module will be followed by a mandatory internship in one of the partner company’s subsidiaries in order to apply the knowledge gained during the module. The anticipated results of this project are: • 15 - 20 European professionals in a niche that is essential to the international development of European agricultural businesses • The development of a methodology to assure the security of raw material supply areas that is applicable to all agricultural sectors • Closer understanding and cooperation between European HEIs and companies in terms of developing the skills necessary for the future job market • Closer interaction and network development between 3 European HEIs The conceivable long-term benefit of this project is to help strengthen the global activity of European agricultural companies. It is this global activity which creates the profit margins that assist the mother company to further develop at home – a guarantor of maintaining employment in Europe. Thus European HEIs active in this project will play an important role in helping partner companies to secure their market position and to therefore not only accompany companies in their international development but ultimately to help to maintain employment in Europe.
Project Context : This project is the result of a request made in 2014 by a dairy company operating in emerging countries that has a problem training its European dairy technicians to work in these countries. Dairy processing is always undertaken locally in factories located near the raw material supply areas . In order to assure optimal production dairy companies are obliged to organize their mild collection in a manner that guarantees regular supply in both quantity and quality. Their technicians are European-trained, thus their technical reference points ( in terms of herd management, nutrition..) cultural references ( work organization, animal welfare..) are often not in sync with those in emerging countries where the conditions for animal husbandry and the technical-economic results are very different from European standards. ESA was contacted about this company issue and saw that a “Strategic Partnership” could be an appropriate tool to develop a training program to respond to this need. Objectives: The objectives are two-fold: Firstly, to create a one-month training module, preceded by a refresher course offered through distance learning, to a public destined to work as dairy technicians in emerging countries ; Secondly, to generate a pool of young European graduates available to work in international companies in the dairy sector. Number and profiles of the participating organizations: The project integrated the 4 following partners: - L’ESA: a Higher Education Institution ( HEI) in Agriculture based in Angers, France. Project coordinator. - CAH Dronton; HEI in Agricultural based in Dronton, based in The Netherlands - USAMV, HEI in Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine based in Bucharest , Romania. - Groupe Lactalis; a major European dairy company, implanted in 85 countries , including emerging countries where milk collection has to be organized. Description of principal activities put in place : A survey to establish the competences required by companies working in emerging counties A mission to Kazakhstan in analyze its dairy sector in order to build a real-life case study. ( Mission not financed by the project but by Lactalis) The creation of an on-line animal science and economic management refresher course The creation of a four-week module taught in-house The teaching of this module The creation of a 6 – language lexicon ( written and oral) in technical vocabulary 3 dissemination events + participation in a scientific conference (Rabat, Morrocco) The administrative and pedagogical coordination of the project Results and impacts achieved: The refresher module in animal science and economic management was created and put on line The two in-house training modules were run in January 2017 and January 2017 and attended by 43 students of 6 nationalities – XXX of whom validated the 10ECTS. To permit the module creation a survey was undertaken of 16 European companies in three countries in order to define the competencies they required for technicians working in emerging countries. 4 project team members effected a one-week study visit in Kazakhstan in order to create a case study The 6 language written and audio language lexicon of technical vocabulary was created and put on line. (French, English, Rumanian, Dutch, Russian and Brazilian) The partner company offered 2 internships during the program The distance – learning module will be used by the project partners in the future. The one-month in house module will be integrated into a final year semester in ESA and iin a minor in CAH The 3 HEI network was reinforced thanks to this project and has led to new cooperation: the opening of a joint bachelor between CAH and ESA in local food products in January 2017 . Thanks to the contact established during the Kazakh mission ESA Kazakh partner universities are now sending students to this bachelor program under an ICM program. This ICM is also a direct consequence of LADMEC. European dairy companies now have a pool of 43 young graduates from which to recruit technicians trained to give technical advice in merging countries. The training module was conceived in a way that allows its methodology to be transferred to other agricultural sectors – assuring the raw material supply for vegetable factories, for example. Eventual long-term benefits: The cooperation between the 3 partners HEIs has been endurably reinforced. Companies in three countries have been educated in mission and functioning of Erasmus+ The pool of 43 program graduates will serve the long-term development of European companies in emerging countries.