FARMER: Future agri-tech reskilling and modern education reimagining
Period
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Lead Partner
Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini Srl SB
Partners: Centre for Development Evaluation and Social Science Research (CREDI, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Public Policy Research Centre (CENTER, Serbia), Network for Rural Development of Montenegro (NRDM, Montenegro), Secondary school Enver Pozderovic Gorazde (VET GOR, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Secondary school Trebinje (VET TRE, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The project aims to strengthen the responsiveness of vocational education and training (VET) systems in the agri-food sector across the Western Balkans to the growing demand for digital, technological, and green skills. It does so by reinforcing the capacities of VET providers, strengthening links with the labour market, and institutionalising knowledge-sharing among regional and international policymakers, practitioners, and education providers.
Building on the consortium’s multidisciplinary expertise in VET and agri-tech across the Western Balkans and the European Union, the project empowers local actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. VET schools, technology-based start-ups, and policymakers will collaborate to co-design, pilot, and institutionalise curriculum innovations based on modular learning approaches, enabling flexible adaptation to changing industry needs.
A core focus of the project will be strengthening the role of VET teachers and schools in shaping relevant learning outcomes. By equipping educators with knowledge and tools to lead curriculum alignment, the project supports closer integration of VET provision with local labour-market and workplace requirements.
In parallel, the project transforms ad hoc cooperation between agri-tech businesses and VET institutions into structured, evidence-based exchange mechanisms. To ensure sustainability and wider impact, the project will develop practical tools and replication strategies, translating results into policy actions that support systematic improvements in the labour-market relevance of VET curricula and innovation-driven agri-food development in the Western Balkans.
As the project lead partner, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini will be responsible for the overall project management and coordination. Moreover, FGB will organise learner mobility, disseminate project results at the EU level, bring Italian and EU VET practices to the consortium, and contribute to all project deliverables.
