Agriskills Project
The AgriSkills project intends to develop and improve the level of key competencies and skills among young unemployed adults (aged 15-29) in rural areas and areas with a high concentration of young, unemployed adults, with the purpose of helping them find employment or develop their own businesses in agriculture-related fields. In some partner countries, inmates and those recently released from prison facilities were also targeted, due the fact that agriculture skills can be a great help in reintegration.
This project also intends to support skills that will help young adults create their own profitable businesses by providing them training materials related to business and entrepreneurship.
Each partner in the AgriSkills project conducted their own investigation of the competency profile of the target population in their respective countries. In particular, we assessed the level of knowledge the target group has about various agricultural areas such as: organic farming, apiculture, agritourism, horticulture and social farming.
After identifying the training needs of the youths from rural areas, the AgriSkills partnership developed innovative teaching materials. In addition to agricultural skills, this project developed modules to support the development of ICT, entrepreneurial and social skills, based on the results of the needs analysis for each partner country.
Specific objectives of the AgriSkills project are:
- Employability: To raise the employability level of young adults from rural and remote areas and areas with high concentrations of young unemployed adults;
- Bridge the gap: To bridge the gap between agricultural labor market needs and the lack of knowledge and competences of young adults;
- Training: To provide specific training to young adults, according to the needs identified at the national level;
- Migration prevention: To help keeping the young adult rural population employed and prevent further migration to big cities;
- Rural activity: To maintain and improve economic activity in rural areas and preserve and improve upon traditional means of livelihood;
- Labor market: To support a more competitive labor market in the European agricultural sector;
- Rural living conditions: To improve the living conditions of young adults by offering guidance and support to the target group to further educate themselves or in developing their own businesses, thus increasing their income potential;
- European impact: To use the AgriSkills partnership’s networks to disseminate the project’s products in order to attract the interest of policy makers, stakeholders, and potential beneficiaries, and thus, to have a high impact at the European level;
- New skills: To transfer not only agricultural skills to young adults, but also ICT skills, entrepreneurial and social skills, with the purpose of supporting them in creating their own business;
- Reintegration: To offer reintegration support for the young adults recently released from prison.
