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 PartnersAll 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.

"<< Background >>BackgroundIn European agriculture, millions of seasonal workers are on the move every year from their home country to the country of employment - mainly in the summer months. Here, their labor is needed to cover the demand for workers in seasonal peaks of planting and harvesting activities. They have little knowledge of labor laws and tariffs or regulations regarding social security and occupational health and safety in the host country. They mostly do not speak the language and there are very frequent violations of workers' rights.A core task of the European agricultural trade unions and of their umbrella organization EFFAT (European Federation for Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions) is to stand up for the rights of these workers. This is done by outreach informational campaigns and advisory work by trade union secretaries, advisors and volunteers. Experiences and reports, both at national and European level, show that there is a high demand for advice among migrant workers in all sectors, and that there is a desire on the part of the workers for educational offers and information in their mother tongue.Public reactions also show how great the need for support is for migrant workers. Not a week goes by without multiple reports in the press, radio and television about the untenable conditions in some companies. The EU Commission has recognized that the knowledge and rights of migrant workers need to be strengthened. Thus, it has strengthened the rights for seasonal workers in the Seasonal Workers Directive (Directive 2014/36/EU). In Germany the reform of the Posting of Workers Directive has led to the legal consolidation of counseling and information offices for migrant workers.Thus, the national trade unions have been carrying out information counseling and training activities for years with the cooperation of EFFAT. Experience and reports at both national and European level show that there is both a high demand for advice among migrant workers in all sectors and a desire on the part of employees for educational offers and information in their native language.<< Objectives >>ObjectivesThe selected Strategic Cooperation Partnership for the AgriWork-crossborder project consists of three trade unions, one European umbrella organization, and four trade union-related consulting institutions. In addition, organizations relevant for the implementation will be involved in the project as associated partners.The different trade union or trade union-related support and consulting structures have different (digital) strategies and methods to consult and train migrant workers. These instruments and tools will be presented transnationally, discussed, transferred and processed for digital application in an advisory manual within the framework of the project. The activities necessary for this are Transnational Meetings of the Strategic Partnership, five Thematic Online Seminars and two trainings based on the strategies laid down in the digital manual.The main topics that have emerged as relevant for the advisory work and are in some cases existential for the seasonal workers are:-Digital information and advice-Working conditions -Occupational Health and Safety-Labor and social law-Discrimination and sexual violenceThese topics will be presented, trained and documented in the digital manual through the use of innovative methods, strategies and products, such as multilingual apps and video clips, digital outreach strategies, field campaigns or counseling and training in home countries. The manual will be freely available on all partner websites.The goal is to empower individual multipliers (counselors and union staff) and increase the efficiency of their counseling work by participating in the activities and using the new training materials. They are trained in terms of content, methodology and digital technology and are part of an expanded information network with partners in various European sending and receiving countries. Along with this, seasonal workers, as an indirect target group will receive more efficient guidance through the use of new innovative methods and tools already tested in other countries. In particular, the use of digital information and guidance tools such as apps (e.g. AgriworkerApp), but also information via socialMedia channels and websites, will lead to greater digital literacy and improved participation. The workers are well informed and can better protect themselves and their workforce.To achieve the project goals, it is important to involve union members, but also one or two seasonal workers in the project activities. The project should benefit from their practical experience. Because this group of people speaks little English, corresponding costs are planned here.<< Implementation >>ImplementationThree different types of activities are foreseen in the project.1.Transnational meetings5 transnational meetings are foreseen, each of which will be attended by 1-3 representatives of all partner organizations. In addition, regional/national experts and participants from the respective associated partners will be invited. These meetings serve to coordinate the overall planning with the partners, to define and discuss common and individual tasks, to prepare the Thematic Online Seminars, and in the further course of the project to prepare the two trainings. They also serve to review the status of the project (in terms of content and finances) and to agree on the next steps. But also to build up and strengthen the networks, as well as the know-how transfer. 2. Thematic Online SeminarsThe 5 Thematic Online Seminars are focused on a specific topic such as ""Occupational Health and Safety"" or ""Discrimination and Sexual violence"". Different strategies and good practices are presented on this topic and discussed with experts. The results are incorporated into the manual. 3.TrainingsIn these 2 trainings, each lasting two days, the methods and strategies already tested by the partners are tested in a transnational group of multipliers and consultants. The participants are from countries of origin as well as from countries of employment of Mobil workers.The methods are presented and applied with different methods. In this way, the participants can broaden their range of work, train other ways of counseling and information, or exchange information about them. In this way, further work with seasonal workers can be improved, nationally and at the EU level.<< Results >>ResultsA major product and outcome will be the multilingual digital advisor manual with good practices, methods and strategies on the following main topics:- Digital information and advice- Working conditions - Occupational health and safety / under climate change conditions- Labor and social law- Discrimination and sexual violenceWith the development of the digital manual, the participation in the Thematic Online Seminars and the trainings based on the advisor manual, the participants will gain practical experience in intercultural counseling and education work, especially with regard to the access of educationally disadvantaged groups. The result will be a significant improvement in their activities and strengthening of digital skills.Along with this, the seasonal workers, as an indirect target group, will receive more efficient counseling and improved access to digital information media. Thus, they will be better informed and will be able to better Another outcome will be the strengthening and expansion of the European and national networks. The associated partners and other involved organizations, such as OSH authorities, social security institutions and other NGOs working in the field, will rely on a strengthened and trained network.The European networking is improved and can thus make labor rights violations visible - from the sending country to the country of employment and the individual company. Thus publicity is created and better compliance with labor rights and social standards can be ensured."

AgriTrain Train the Trainer for a Sustainable AgricultureBuilding upon the experiences made with the earlier project AgriSkills (www.agriskills.eu), this project proposal aims at making trainers more aware of the relevance of sustainability for agriculture. Besides innovative concepts of vocational training for sustainable development, there is a need for stronger emphasis on sustainability in agriculture. It is not planned to produce additional new content, but rather to develop thinking in terms of sustainability as an integral part and underlying theme in vocational and private behavior alike.The aim and focus of our project is the implementation of learning for sustainable development in the training of vocational instructors (teachers at vocational schools and company in-house trainers) in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and related areas by the development of curricula on school and company level. Further education programs and a strategy for broad dissemination shall also lead to advanced and ongoing discussions on the implementation of “Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable Development” (VETSD) in educational structures.For this purpose, special programs for further education will be created. They will be available for teachers and trainers on an individual basis thus strengthening the learning place cooperation between schools and company in-house training.A guideline VETSD for both, participants and as a basis for a wider qualified discussion at structural level on VETSD is planned.The dissemination of results is achieved by various multiplier events as well as by the associated partners. The results will be available on the project website www.agri-train.eu and on the websites of the partner organizations.In the preparatory phase training and continuing education for in-school and in-company trainers in the partner countries are analysed, in particular with respect to the embedding of aspects of sustainability. In the implementation phase this demand analysis also serves as an orientation aid for ranking curricula according to European standards (EQF).In a strategic partnership with universities and colleges, a chamber of Agriculture, Workers Union affiliated Educational Institution, a company the following two intellectual outputs will be generated:I.O. 1 – Curriculum – Training for Trainer in the Field of Sustainable DevelopmentExemplary development of three modules of further-education for trainer with the following topical foci:• soil science• water management• health and safetyAll three modules are to meet “VSTD” criteria and will be developed along the lines of “regular” curricular teaching content.The modules will include the development of employability skills, will employ a set of diverse teaching and learning methods, and will make extensive use of state-of-the art information and communication technologies.Agriculture is very much shaped by European regulations. The impacts of these regulations have to be integrated into education and training. For this purpose, innovative approaches will be developed in cooperation with the partners.I.O. 2 – Guideline for Vocational Training in the Area of Sustainable DevelopmentGuidelines are to be developed in order to facilitate the comprehensive dissemination of (VETSD) educational materials and intentions. The guideline is based on the development of a strategic vision on VETSD within the project. This vision of VETSD is to reflect and delineate the contentual positioning of sustainable development and agriculture and will also be the basis of a checklist that provides orientation concerning the integration of aspects of sustainability in teaching- and learning materials in the project. The guidelines are intended for school and in-house instructors and for the dissemination of VETSD among the stakeholders.TrainingsThe modules of continuing education and the guideline will be tested trans-nationally in short-term training modules. The tests will be evaluated and the data and insights provide a basis for final revision of curricula.Target-groupsInstructors (in-house and school) from the fields of agriculture, horticulture and related sectors.Trainees in the fields of agriculture and related vocational areas, who participate in further education programmes.Dissemination strategyThe various multiplier events will generate new aspects (training of trainers, European context) to enhance the discussions about VETSD at the systemic level. In cooperation with national and European social partners, it is intended to influence training regulations and programmes in the long term.The results of the project will be published electronically /print-media.In addition, results will be disseminated:• on local level by offering educational modules• on regional and national level by discussions and events and• on European level by all the discussions in the committees the social partners are part of

CONTEXT“If we do not keep temperature increase below 1.5 degrees, we risk heading towards extinction later this century.”One might assume that this statement was made by an environmental organization.But it is an EU body which came to this conclusion, published in ‘‘Challenges and choices for Europe. Global Trends to 2030’ by the inter-institutional EU project ‘European Strategy and Policy Analysis System’ (ESPAS). The authors also state:“In part, climate change is driven by what we eat: 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions result from livestock, especially cattle raised for both meat and milk. If cattle were a country, it would rank third in emissions behind the United States and China.” (ESPAS report 2019, p. 9)Other studies have shown that livestock farming causes 51% of the worldwide greenhouse gases (Goodland, R; Anhang J., Livestock and Climate Change, 2009). They include e. g. the lost CO2 absorption of livestock-relatetd deforestation.In his statement on International Forest Day, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said: “The deforestation is caused mainly by the transformation of habitats for the extensive agriculture.” (21.3.2020) What we eat is connected with climate change and to a larger extent with species extinction.To examine these interrelations in depth and to open up alternative ways of action, the AGRIPOL project develops a blended learning course for VET teachers.AGRIPOL will focus on the individual level:How can change of behaviour be initiated and what is needed to keep it over a longer period? But the power of consumers is restricted, therefore the project team includes also the structural level: the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The current CAP has been criticised for encouraging farming practices that damage the environment. The new period of the Common Agricultural Policy is going to start 2021 and will end in 2027, it's regulations are currently under negotiation.The AGRIPOL project will analyze and didactically prepare the main contents of the CAP: Which interest groups were involved and to what extent? Which impacts with regard to e.g. more sustainability will the CAP have?AIMSSupporting opportunities for VET students in acquiring and developing key competences, in order to foster participation in civic life and critical thinking.AGRIPOL contributes to enable change of behaviour for consumption habits, and lifestyles; it supports VET teachers and students to become ‘true factors of change’ (horizontal priority in the E+ guide). And it provides information on problems at a structural level, that need to be addressed by decision-makers at European level.Long term objective is to attach greater importance to topics like sustainability and protection of resources in curricula (in subjects of ‘green jobs’ and in civic education).RESULTS1. PROFESSIONAL MOVIE on the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) + booklet with further info for teachersCAP’s implications with regard to soil, biodiversity, water protection as well as work conditions in the field of agriculture (different interview partners ‘pro’ and ‘con’; and info from reliable scientific sources), target group movie: VET students2. VIDEO CLIPSAudiovisual statements of 'prominent' people (e.g. ‘youtubers’) and ‘ordinary’ people who already started the change> Role models can have a huge impact on the possibility to change individuals’ behaviour(Peer to peer approach: VET students create clips)3. BLENDED-LEARNING COURSE for VET teachers and trainers- Module for face to face training (How to address the problem of ‘cognitive dissonance’ in class)- Online courses in four languages (e.g. addressing sustainable development goals such as ‘life and land’ > examples for sustainable, inventive practices e. g. Navdanya, India]- Curriculum- Hands-on learning and teaching material [interrelation between free trade agreements, EU regulations in the field of agriculture and policies at national level]Didactic approaches: problem based learning. The fields ‘education of sustainable development’ and ‘global citizenship education’ will be connected.TEAMThe team comprises experts from four countries who have wealth of experience - in teacher training and different didactic approaches- in education of and practical work with VET students of ‘green’ jobs And those which have scientific expertise with regard to agriculture and sustainability.Demokratiezentrum, AustriaPeco-Institute for sustainable regional development, GermanyAgricultural University, Bulgaria Bulgarian School of Politics ‘Dimitry Panitza’, Bulgaria (NGO)VET school for Horticulture Großwilfersdorf, Austria Edmund Jankowski VET School of Horticulture, PolandInitiative for education for workers in agriculture of the Styrian chamber, Austria Leibniz University Hanover, AGORA Citizenship Education, Germany