This project proposal was developed in line with the objectives and recommendations made in the Bruges Communiqué on enhanced European cooperation in VET for 2011-2020 in particular Fostering innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as the use of ICT (in both i-vet and C-vet) . The recommendation to take measures to promote entrepreneurship, e.g. by promoting the acquisition of relevant key competences, enabling practical experiences in enterprises, and involving experts from businesses also contributed to the development of this project. The consortium is comprised of five partners; BETI (Lithuania), CIA Toscana (Italy), CPIP (Romania), The Polish Farm Association and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (Ireland). Each member of the consortium has been involved in the Agri-Food sector and innovative methods of developing the sector. Due to this combined interest, during the research stage of the project proposal the consortium focussed on the Agri-Food Sector. Europe’s food industry has seen a major resurgence in recent years and has been a hallmark of the economic recovery. The development and growth of new food businesses has been seen in both large scale corporations and artisan producers alike. Females are currently grossly underrepresented in the Agri-Food industry (comprising ~30%). Often playing the primary role in the home leads to a lack of engagement with education causing females in this field to be perceived as low skilled. These facts, coupled with our needs analysis, clearly support the demand for adequate training to grow Female Food Entrepreneurs (FFEs). There are a number of entrepreneurial courses available but currently no CPD for VET providers to upskill to meet the needs of this unique group. The overall aim of this highly innovative project is to develop and sustain the growth of FFEs by equipping VET educators with an innovative pedagogy guide and resource tool that will provide them with the knowledge and materials to develop female-focused entrepreneurial training that will be influenced and delivered by food entrepreneurs. In summary Entrepreneurs helping to develop Entrepreneurs. A key aspect of this project is to encourage the growth of professional development of VET teachers and develop innovative teaching approaches. The project methodology and activities have been designed to specifically meet the needs identified in our target group (VET providers). The consortium aims to apply mixed methods utilising a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods throughout the project. Two intellectual outputs will be produced focused on developing a training guide to enhance delivery of innovative teaching methods in VET entrepreneurial courses and also a resource tool tailored to females in the Agri-Food sector. Two LTTAs are scheduled to ensure the design, content and functionality of the project outputs are relevant for the intended audience. Four multiplier events are planned to ensure wide dissemination of the project outcomes and outputs. The outputs will significantly support innovation and entrepreneurship within the Agri-Food sector by providing VET trainers with the guidance and skills required to deliver new peer led entrepreneurial training methods together with the comprehensive resource tool that will contribute to the growth of female entrepreneurs in this sector. The European Commission Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality (2016-19) specifically identifies the need to develop and support female entrepreneurs as a key requirement for achieving the goal of sustainable and inclusive growth set out in the Europe 2020 strategy. Furthermore the European Commission has identified that ‘when establishing and running a business women face more difficulties than men mainly in access to finance, training, networking and in reconciling family commitments’. Entrepreneurship and innovation for females in the Agri-Food sector will need to be fostered and encouraged if anticipated growth in this sector is to be fully realised. Providing the skills to develop an entrepreneurial mind set, could be a sustainable approach to both supporting those involved in this industry and developing this industry. However lack of CPD for VET teachers in innovative teaching methods tailored to females in the Agri-Food sector currently hinders the growth of appropriate training to foster female entrepreneurship. This project therefore will seek to overcome this barrier by developing an innovative training guide and resource tool and making them easily accessible to VET providers throughout Europe. Finally, the Commission’s Flagship Initiative ‘Agenda for New Skills and Jobs’, also highlights the need to incorporate digital competences into work-based training and again raises the call for wider access to Lifelong learning especially for disadvantaged groups. The developed outputs are highly sustainable and will have far-reaching impact across a range of sectors.
The overall aim of this highly innovative project was to develop and sustain the growth of Female Food Entrepreneurs (FFEs) by equipping VET educators with an innovative pedagogy guide and resource tool that would provide them with the knowledge and materials to develop female-focused entrepreneurial training that will be influenced by food entrepreneurs. In summary, entrepreneurs helping to develop entrepreneurs. A key aspect of this project was to encourage the growth of professional development of VET teachers and develop innovative teaching approaches. This project proposal was developed in line with the objectives and recommendations made in the Bruges Communiqué on enhanced European cooperation in VET for 2011-2020 in particular Fostering innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as the use of ICT (in both i-vet and C-vet). Prior to the commencement of the project, a needs analysis of the target group was undertaken which was updated throughout the project. This project also followed on from a previous EU funded project, Creating Entrepreneurs in Food (CEF), which highlighted the lack of support for FFEs in Europe. Europe’s food industry has seen a major resurgence in recent years and has been a hallmark of the economic recovery. The development and growth of new food businesses has been seen in both large scale corporations and artisan producers alike. Females are currently grossly underrepresented in the Agri-Food industry. These facts, coupled with our needs analysis, clearly support the demand for adequate training to grow FFEs. There are a number of entrepreneurial courses available but currently no CPD for VET providers to upskill to meet the needs of this unique group. To achieve the above objectives of this project, two outputs were produced: -A Training Guide for VET providers on delivering work based entrepreneurial training to FFEs in the Agri-Food Sector (O1) -A Resource Platform which provides European FFEs with resources, training, advice and collaborative opportunities (O2) It is anticipated that the outputs of the project will continue to gain attention and that more FFEs will successfully develop their own business, and create jobs. Due to the impact of Covid-19, the consortium produced additional material for O1 and O2 in order to address the new digital world we are living in due to the pandemic. The additional material for O1, with GMIT as the lead, consisted of a document for VET educators to help them create and deliver work-based entrepreneurial training for online environments. The additional material was created to provide VET educators with details and links to the most appropriate platforms and methods to utilize, and to increase their practical based learners engagement in an online environment. Following the pandemic, it became apparent that although the O2 resource platform was an online resource, it was deficient in online skills that would be essential post pandemic. The consortium felt that there would be a greater need for food businesses to have an online presence. The additional material was worked into O2, with a new section on the platform created called 'Digital Tools.' GMIT led the creation of O2 additional material, with PFA making the information available on the platform. The consortium comprised of five partners; BETI (Lithuania), CIA Toscana (Italy), CPIP (Romania), PFA and GMIT (Ireland). Each member of the consortium had been involved in the Agri-Food sector and innovative methods of developing the sector. A communication and dissemination plan along with a timeline of activities were developed to ensure the project stayed on track. 5 TNMs took place throughout the project with 2 taking place physically and the remaining 3 being held online. Four multiplier events (Es) were organised by the consortium with the first two taking place physically, and the last two hosted virtually. To ensure the outputs were meeting the needs of the target audience, two Learning Teaching Training Activities (LTTAs) were organised; The first took place physically and organised by GMIT with the aim of testing and evaluating O1 among the consortium. 10 participants took part. LTTA2 took place virtually with Learners and was a five day event organised by BETI. 15 members of the target audience took part and provided feedback on O2. Covid-19 affected the project, but the activities still had good attendance. The recordings of the Es have been requested and viewed many times demonstrating the significant impact and interest in the project. With the outputs translated to partner languages, the project and its outcomes are easily transferrable and will reach a wider European audience. This project was the first of its kind to be a finalist in the prestigious Green Gown research awards. This was and has continued to be a significant dissemination event for our project with the Youtube video of the awards receiving 137 views. All partners have disseminated the project to date on social media. By collaborating with European partners, the developed outputs benefitted from the contribution of a broader range of FFEs.