Agricultural high schools – educating the next generation of farmers

The program brings together a consortium of organizations whose long-term vision is to support agricultural schools in becoming an important contributor to the local economic development.  In their vision agriculture high schools are serving as a nursery for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, but also as an educational hub for the entire community.

 

The program is created based on an initial pilot and continuous assessment. As far as 2023, the consortium actions` are focused on the following major pillars and objectives:

 

• Equipping teachers with the skills, the motivation, and the up-to-date resources necessary for delivering better technical and entrepreneurial training.
• Engaging more agribusiness leaders in agricultural education, gaining their trust and appreciation of agricultural education.
• Increasing the capacity of agricultural high schools to ensure better work-based learning for students (practicum and study visits).
• Raising the capacity of agricultural high schools to attract resources.
• Making public authorities more aware of the real needs of agricultural high schools.
• Supporting agricultural high school to advocate better together.
• Supporting agricultural high schools to communicate better their work and educational offer.
• Improving the public image of agriculture as an educational track.

In the long rung, we would like to see a network of 30-40 high schools with a good geographical distribution, having relevant and good quality educational offers, well connected with the local business, recognized as an important player for the community development and supported by local authorities, considered an attractive option and a reference point in their county for all those young people (and their families) interested to take a career in agriculture.