How can we ensure that secondary-school students are fully prepared for the agri-technologies of the future? Through the Erasmus+ supported FARMER project, over the next three years we will work with partners to strengthen the relevance and quality of vocational education and training (VET) in the Western Balkans agri-food sector, while also improving learners’ digital and green skills.
This is the Centre’s third project in the field of agri-tech innovation under our Just Innovation programme. The consortium is led by Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini Srl SB, with partners Network for Rural Development of Montenegro, JU Centar srednjih škola Trebinje, JU Mješovita srednja škola “Enver Pozderović” Goražde, and CREDI – Centre for Development Evaluation and Social Science Research.
The FARMER project aims to reinforce the capacities of VET providers, strengthen cooperation with the labour market, and institutionalise knowledge sharing among regional and international policymakers and practitioners. Working with VET schools, tech-based start-ups, and policymakers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, the consortium will develop, test, and support the introduction of updated curricula aligned with trends in high-tech agriculture and the agri-food industry.
A particular emphasis is placed on enabling teachers to lead curriculum alignment processes, building systematic and evidence-based collaboration with the agri-tech sector, and developing tools and replication approaches that bring schools and employers closer together—supporting continuous skills development grounded in the real needs of teachers, learners, and industry actors. Project results will be translated into policy recommendations, with the aim of wider uptake and long-term improvements in the relevance and quality of VET programmes across the region.