Sowing the seeds for the digital agricultral worker Erasmus Project
General information for the Sowing the seeds for the digital agricultral worker Erasmus Project
Project Title
Sowing the seeds for the digital agricultral worker
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 adult education
Project Call Year
This project’s Call Year is 2017
Project Topics
This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses
Project Summary
Over the project-period all objectives and activities described in the application have been undertaken according the application.
The aim of this 24 months project was to develop a digital tool, the “AGRI-Worker learner APP”, for developing basic digital skills for low-skilled agricultural migrant workers, and to provide a manual for and train a corps of trainers to instruct the target group of the APP. Moreover, it was the intention to implement the use of the APP in the daily work for the project partners.
The project partners have been trade unions, social partners and NGOs in Poland, Austria, Germany and Denmark working with migrant agricultural workers, and the vocational school of Køge Business College.
Background of the project
The project was inspired by the recommendations of The European Commission’s “Upskilling Pathways: New opportunities for Adult”. The rapid digital development in all sectors is changing work and daily life which requires an increased level of digital skills of all Europeans. Estimated 20% of the European population had no digital skills according to the European commission in 2016. (“Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition” European Commission 2016).
Target group: Migrant Agricultural Workers
The no of migrant workers in agriculture in Northern Europe has been increasing. Alone in Denmark, 33% of the workforce in agriculture were foreigners in 2016. This number has increased since. It was the assumption of the project that migrant workers in agriculture have few basic digital skills and that due to little knowledge of the local language, they face serious problems in several ways. The migrant workers have difficulties attaining knowledge and information about the country of work, their workers’ rights. Furthermore, they have low enrolment in LLL.
This leaves these migrant agricultural workers very vulnerable to social stigmatization, exploitation in the country of work with no or very limited possibilities to gain information about their rights, consequently developing skills relevant for their job-security and mobility.
Concept AGRI-Worker learner APP: Reaching out for the least motivated
Focusing on workers that are not “digital natives” and over 35, the target group of the project was aiming at mainly Polish agricultural workers, or potential migrating, working in the neighbouring countries of Poland. However, it became very clear early in the project that also Poland is attracting many foreign workers from Russia and Ukraine. Also, there are many Romanian agricultural workers working in Austria, Germany and Denmark. The target group of migrant workers is therefore diverse in national background, hence the different language versions on the APP.
By constructing an e-tool (the AGRIworker APP) directly for the target group, and with the help of the manual and training a corps of trainers, the project was intended to develop alternative strategies and methods to develop the digital skills of low-skilled adult agricultural workers.
According to the application our ambitions were to:
• Create an alternative learning offer for the target group;
• Gain new knowledge on adult digital pedagogics for low-skilled workers;
• Developing new methods and practices to reach low skilled target groups for e-learning and digital skills;
• Developing secure and safe learning environment for the target group
• Providing a tool of empowering workers with knowledge and skills.
The project aimed to be innovative in the following ways:
• Development of European e-learning APP for the target group where few e-learning alternatives exist which is transferrable to other branches and target groups
• Developing new methods and practices to reach low skilled target groups concerning e-learning and digital skills.
• Strengthen transnational cooperation of social partners and NGOs
• Transfer of the new outcomes in the partners’ working field – with the possibilities of transferring to related branches and target groups.
• Access to the target group – and A “hand-on” instruction of the APP in the workplace (or local union)
The project has worked in a structed way in developing the two products: a) the AGRIWORKER APP which is provided in several languages and b) a training manual for our key- and app-trainers. To reach the target group, the key- and app-trainers were trained to carry out outreach work for the target group. This introduction and training in the use of the APP was to take place in different settings: at the local union, in the field or more formal training.
It was the hope that approximately 500 agricultural workers should have been trained or introduced to the learner app in 2019.
To ensure further outreach of the project, the project partners were to consolidate the project at European level through our European network of EFFAT (European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions) ensuring transfer of knowledge about the project to other branches and projects.
EU Grant (Eur)
Funding of the project from EU: 223465 Eur
Project Coordinator
Fagligt fælles forbund & Country: DK
Project Partners
- IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt
- Polskie Stowarzyszenie Pracownikow Migracyjnych
- Køge Business College
- Europäischer Verein für Wanderarbeiterfragen e. V.
- Zwiazek Zawodowy Pracownikow Rolnictwa w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej
- Bildungsinitiative INA der Steiermärkischen Landarbeiterkammer