Blended Forestry Training Erasmus Project

Project Title

Blended Forestry Training

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Open and distance learning; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

Although blended learning is an education program that is known and used in several domains, it was not yet used -and so very much innovative- in the forestry sector. During this project 21 forestry expert from ES, FR, Au, De and Be have been trained in developping innovative, interactive online learning materials. They have developted digital learning materials for professionals from the forestry sector. The developed digital training modules were combined into so-called “training lines” specifically developed for forestry professionals, covering subjects and expertise that they need today in order to stay on top of knowledge and expertise in their domain. Thanks to the participation of an agogic training expert in blended learning and specialized forestry training institutes (FTI) from different European countries, transnational exchange of expertise -which was necessary to reply to the specific training needs of forestry professionals- was possible.
Before this project the participating FTI’s mainly developed and transmitted expertise via classical teaching and handbooks. A part of the trainings included already sometimes basic online support (for example with introductory texts, background documents or by making available the presentations used during the training) via their websites. But with this project of Blended learning the European Forestry sector (EFS) has entered the world of blended and online learning. The developed digital learning materials, which are available in different digital formats were widely disseminated amoung the different networks of the participating Forestry partners within this project, in order to make an extensive implementation of online content into classical training schemes possible. Thanks to the experience of Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen, partners have been able to level up their basic online support into professional development of digital training materials on the one hand and online and blended teaching and learning on the other hand. As a result blended learning and teaching has became more commonly used and known in the EFS. This has increased the scope of forestry professionals that could be reached thanks to (partly) online exchange of knowledge. Throughout Europe, forestry professionals have specialties of their own, and innovative techniques arise at local level, specific to the country/terrain conditions/ … Despite the local differences, specific expertise is of high interest for forestry professionals elsewhere in Europe. The use of digital training materials facilitate now the exchange of expertise and the accessibility to knowledge within the sector and between professionals, not only on local or regional level but also on European level and beyond. Professionals are now aible to consult the digital content whenever they want, without traveling, avoiding important investment of money, time and traveling. Indirectly, the results of the BLEFT-project contributes to the greening of the professionalism of the EFS. In addition, professionals can now easily select the training modules replying to their specific need. So thanks to the use of blended learning, several barriers have been reduced. The partnership has developed digital learning materials in English and in the national language(s) in order to overcome language barriers.
For an important part of the forestry professionals guidance was necessary in this foreseen digitalization of the trainings and training materials. The national networks of the partners have been used in order to reach the regular clients and well-known contacts of the sector. The existing relation of trust with the sector has facilitated the introduction of this innovative training method. The extended network including different types of actors from the sector all over Europe has spread the project results beyond the participating partners and countries.
During the project, a public project website/page and partner networks and regular communication means were used in order to inform interested parties on the progress of the project. The developed project website, which is also published on the European Platform for Project Results, ensures that the developed training lines – consisting of several separate modules in different digital formats – will be publically and freely available, also after the project has ended. Also the guidelines and tutorials on how to create online content have been recorded and made publically available for any other interested party via this platform and via links on partner websites to this centralized platform.

Project Website

http://bleft.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 189105,4 Eur

Project Coordinator

NATUURINVEST & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Centre Forestier de la région Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur
• CONSORCI CENTRE DE CIENCIA I TECNOLOGIA FORESTAL DE CATALUNYA
• BUNDESFORSCHUNGS UND AUSBILDUNGSZENTRUM FUR WALD NATURGEFAHREN UND LANDSCHAFT
• KATHOLIEK ONDERWIJS VLAANDEREN
• European Forestry and Environmental Skills Council
• KURATORIUM FUR WALDARBEIT UND FORSTTECHNIK KWF EV*KFW