A new project funded by the European Union aims to enhance the professional profile of Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers and trainers in agriculture and rural development in Africa. The SEED4AFRICA project will offer online, face-to-face, and work-based learning opportunities to support the development of VET networks in multiple countries.
The project’s primary goal is establishing an international network of VET providers in Italy, Belgium, Spain, and five Sub-Saharan countries: Niger, Benin, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. This network can expand further within the European Union and the southern African region. The project activities will enhance VET quality and attractiveness through these collaborations, particularly in intelligent, digital, and sustainable farming.
To achieve this, the project will adapt and transfer the results of three successful practices funded by the Erasmus+ program. These practices include SEED, which developed a joint digital farming curriculum for training Digital Transformation Agents in Agriculture; PONICS VET, which offers a guide for VET teachers and trainers specializing in Controlled Environment Agriculture methods and technologies; and LiveAdapt, a project that supports the adaptation of extensive livestock to climate change through a flexible training plan.
Additionally, the project aims to enhance communication and cooperation among VET providers locally and internationally. This will involve exchanging good practices, initiatives, and tools and organizing job shadowing and technical visits for African VET teachers and staff in participating schools.
The project will also focus on innovating the provision of VET programs by encouraging collaboration between educational institutions, public authorities, and private companies. This will be facilitated through contest-based initiatives such as hackathons and innovation boot camps, where mixed teams of VET students and agriculture stakeholders will co-design digital and entrepreneurial solutions for societal challenges aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030.
SEED4AFRICA is set to run for 36 months, from September 2022 to August 2025, to foster sustainable cooperation among VET schools across different countries. By creating long-term synergies, the project seeks to enhance VET’s attractiveness in agriculture and rural development. For more information, interested parties can reach out to info@seed4africa.eu.
Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this project are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The European Union and EACEA cannot be held responsible for any content within the project.
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash
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