Food for Growth Erasmus Project

Project Title

Food for Growth

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Conceived in 2015, F4G has developed and tested an innovative training model that can be easily transferred to VET systems that complement post-secondary level technical training (V EQF) and VET pathways, in order to improve the ability to communicate agri-food innovation, create a more dynamic market and improve social acceptability. Statistical analyses confirm the untapped SMEs’ competitive potential of innovation in the Mediterranean area, downgrading the characteristics of Mediterranean products and productions to a peculiarity linked to the territory.
Objectives: A) develop a set of technical and transversal skills to promote a bottom-up approach to innovation and the development of co-design in order to accelerate the transfer of available innovation and improve the impact on the specificities requested by the market. B) define the prototype of a training course that is complementary to higher technical education, fostering the collaboration between different disciplines (C) update and produce learning methods to address product design competences with aspects relevant to the dialogue between industry and consumers, including social and ethical issues
Partnership: 8 bodies ranging from VET, companies and Universities from three Mediterranean countries: Italy, France and Spain that operates in different fields such as:
Training, delivered by ITS Tech & Food of Parma (IT) in the heart of the Food Valley, by organizing biennial courses to train specialized technicians and offer them immediate employment opportunities in strategic sectors of the local productive fabric. Innovative teaching, represented by the expertise in Flipped methodology of DISAFA – University of Turin (IT). Research, Innovation and Competitiveness, IRTA (ES) public body of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action of the Regional Government of Catalonia. Scientific communication delivered by OPGA (IT), a body involved in the research, study and dissemination of scientifically-based information on issues related to the production, consumption and abuse of alcoholic beverages.
With respect to the the EEIG, all the functions related to didactics, Research and Scientific Communication are also delivered by ECOTROPHELIA. Companies: Birra Menabrea (IT) and CASA MAS (ES) are the companies that have contributed to the development and testing of the F4G training model, allowing to identify didactic contents consistent with the training needs of the technologists in productive and innovative contexts.
SFC (IT) has coordinated the partnership, based on its expertise in the governance of complex projects for the development of human capital and business competitiveness.
The project activities and the main outputs were divided into 4 phases: 1) Analysis of emerging communication skills and innovation in the agri-food sector. The output coincides with the IO1. 2) Elaboration of a training course in Flipped Classroom mode and experimentation of the course. The IO2 output describes the platform, available on line. 3) Creation of Co Working Lab as a methodology of the F4G training model. The IO3 output reports the results. 4) drafting of Design Guidelines in Flipped Classroom to increase the replicability of the F4G model in VET paths. The IO4 output coincides with the Guidelines. The project results were reached by achieving what was foreseen in the proposal:
– Processing of 4 intellectual outputs, each translated into 4 languages: English, Italian, French and Spanish
– Application of the innovative Flipped Classroom didactics in learning paths for adults in the agro-food sector
– Elaboration of a F4G training model, divided into a Flipped section available online and a workshop section called Co Working Lab
– Activation of a network able to adopt the F4G model and implement further developments of the model
Long-term benefits: learning of innovative teaching methodologies by the trainers and designers involved and permanently engaged in the structures of the project partners, with the reuse of the Flipped methodology. Recognition of “Communication of Innovation and Social Acceptability” among the items for the elaboration of start-up proposals in the framework of the ECOTROPHELIA competition. The solution makes the results of F4G applicable even beyond the time limits of the project and stably focuses the attention on the subject. Involvement of ITS Tech & Food in agro-food innovation contests, opening the challenge to students and teachers to integrate teaching with problem focused methodologies, the basis of the Flipped methodology. 3 proposals out of the total of 10 evaluated at Ecotrophelia – CIbus 8 May 2018, were presented by the ITS.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 374871 Eur

Project Coordinator

SISTEMI FORMATIVI CONFINDUSTRIA SCPA & Country: IT

Project Partners

• BIRRA MENABREA SPA
• INSTITUT DE RECERCA I TECNOLOGIA AGROALIMENTARIES
• Istituto Tecnico Superiore – Area Tecnologica Nuove Tecnologie per il Made in Italy – Ambito Settoriale Regionale Agroalimentare
• EEIG ECOTROPHELIA EUROPE
• Osservatorio Permanente sui Giovani e l’Alcool
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO
• CASA MAS ALIMENTACION