The agricultural students are preparing for Industry 4.0 Erasmus Project

Project Title

The agricultural students are preparing for Industry 4.0

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cooperation between educational institutions and business; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Our society has been lately embodied in the new industrial revolution, so-called the fourth industrial revolution–Industry 4.0. We have been going through the development of digitization, automation and robotic automation that penetrate all sectors including agriculture. Modern agriculture mechanization takes advantage of electronics, digital technology and automation. It does not mean an increase of efficiency but it also generates new demands on machines operating. Changes that Industry 4.0 brings have a substantial influence on the required qualification. The students must be prepared for working in agriculture that will be based on new technologies, automation, and digitization.The main orientation of future development is “precise agriculture” connected with technical progress in the area of navigation systems, electronics and IT. It follows that the new mechanization is produced and used. As the consequence of progressive automation and digitization, some substantial changes will take place on the labour market and will also place new demands on digitization and knowledge and skills of a graduate. It is needed to implement new elements of vocational preparation with regard to new needs of the labour market. It is important to strengthen the cooperation among schools and the labour market by organising student and techer excusions or expert workshops.There are different conditions for adapting to Industry 4.0 in individual countries.Thanks to this project, students will have a chance to compare real conditions for farming and the implementation of new agriculture technologies in these countries. This project will enable them to get a real overview focused on specific technologies and results of farming in a sample of four EU countries. It will bring them a new view on a real implementation of new technologies in these countries and conditions in agricultural sector there.The participants will visit participating schools, they will compare agricultural education and conditions for practical training there.The student groups will be accompanied by special subject and practical training teachers who will present the situation in their schools and countries as for curricula, machinery, evaluation and motivation, and collaboration with social partners. The project is important, as it shows both the implementation of new technologies in the agricultural sector and the level of agricultural education and its quality in the European framework.The project will also motivate students to improve their knowledge and skills, including language skills. The participating students will be future farmers of the EU and they will have to know different conditions in agricultural sector in different parts of the EU to understand the necessity of production division throughout Europe. The project is focused on secondary agriculture school students and teachers.The project develops their skills and knowledge of agricultural practices in European framework and promotes mutual relationships among the participants. Four agricultural schools from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden and the UK will be involved in the project. Student teams will describe the situation in agriculture in their country with regard to used machinery and new technologies. Each team will choose an agricultural company or a farm that uses new technologies and will compare them by means of analysing used mechanization, yields, quality of the products, costs, subsidies and revenues.There will be 4 Transnational Learning Activities, one in each partner country. The main activities will be expert workshops led by machinery producers and sellers. The participants will get to know the newest trends and technologies in practice.They will visit farms and agricultural companies, where the participants will have an opportunity to discuss the issues of introducing and using new technologies, experience or barriers with farmers and managers. The team from the host country will prepare and present a presentation about the country, school and situation in the agricultural enterprise. The students will take photos and videos from workshops and excursions. The teachers will have an opportunity to compare agricultural education and conditions for practical training there. They will discuss and share experience from their schools, as for the curricula, machinery, evaluation and collaboration with social partners. Teachers will create a survey based on the materials gathered during workshops and excursions organized by machinery producers and sellers, which will further bring summary about strengths and weaknesses in the vocational preparation and the development of the agricultural sector with an emphasis on Industry 4.0. The examples of good practice will be suitably implemented into the curricula. One of the project results will be the set of videos presenting the workshops and a final report summarizing the situation in participating countries.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 130230 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vyšší odborná škola a Střední zemědělská škola, Benešov, Mendelova 131 & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Easton & Otley College
• Jordbrugets Uddannelsescenter Århus
• Munkagårdsgymnasiet
• Norwich City College of Further & Higher Education