Skill Needs for Sustainable Agri-Food and Forestry Sectors (I): Assessment through European and National Focus Groups

Mayor, L.; Lindner, Line; Knöbl, Christoph F.; Ramalho, Ana; Berruto, Remigio; Sanna, Francesca; Rossi, Daniele; Tomao, Camilla; Goodburn, Billy; Concha, Avila,; Leijdens, Marg; Katharina, Stollewerk,; Michael, Bregler,; Koidis, Christos; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Vesna, Milicic,; Fadini, Giulia; Lazaro-Mojica, Jonas; Busato, Patrizia

doi:10.3390/su14159607

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Thus, SMEs should not be made to undergo just any form of training, but rather such training should be tailored to the sectoral and business needs of these SMEs. Particularly, SMEs who are served by microfinance institutions in Ghana have a responsibility to offer relevant managerial training to their borrowers in the areas of business sustainability, accounting, financial management, risk management, and many other needed contents before loans are offered (Manimala and Kumar, 2012;Mayor et al, 2022). This will then ensure effective business management and the best loan repayment practices.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does managerial training increase SME managers' effectiveness? A capability development approach

Atiase

Wang

Mahmood

2023

IJEBR

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PurposeTraining remains an important factor in developing the managerial effectiveness and capability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet there are concerns regarding the quality of training provided to SME managers in Ghana, hence the weak managerial capabilities observed in SME management. This study, therefore, examines the impact of managerial training on the effectiveness of SME managers in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the human capital theory (Becker, 1962; Rosen, 1977), this study employs the variance-based estimating technique, partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in estimating the effects of training on the managerial effectiveness of SME managers. Adopting a stratified random sampling technique, the study uses primary data collected from 506 SMEs in Ghana to test 4 hypothesised paths.FindingsFirst, the model result indicates that training accessibility and training content are statistically significant in explaining managerial effectiveness at a 1% level. However, both training efficiency and training frequency are statistically insignificant in explaining managerial effectiveness in Ghana. Second, while the industry category is found to influence the relationship between training and managerial effectiveness, gender, manager's age and education are insignificant in explaining any effects.Research limitations/implicationsThough the sample size is large, the findings from this study could not be generalised to the whole of Ghana since it is regionally based. The study could benefit immensely from a triangulated method where a qualitative dimension could provide deeper insight into some of the findings in this study.Originality/valueStudies of this nature focussing on the managerial effectiveness of SME managers in the Ghanaian context is rare. This is one of the few studies in the Ghanaian research context which focuses on the capability development approach in the delivery of managerial training to SMEs.

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Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does managerial training increase SME managers' effectiveness? A capability development approach

Atiase

Wang

Mahmood

2023

IJEBR

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“…Within the scope of the FIELDS project, it was critical to have a broader understanding focused on stakeholders' views on knowledge and competences needed in the future. The survey is part of more comprehensive empirical research on skills needs including other activities such as focus groups [21] and trends and scenario analyses [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a first step, nine focus groups were undertaken in different European countries to identify skills and training needs in the agri-food and forestry sectors. The outcomes of the focus groups [21] were used to design an online survey as follow-up research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skill Needs for Sustainable Agri-Food and Forestry Sectors (II): Insights of a European Survey

Ribeiro

Goodburn²,

Mayor³

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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The agri-food and forestry sectors are in transition towards more sustainable, green, and innovative systems tackling several challenges posed by globalization, governance, and consumers’ demands. This transition to novel processes, markets, and businesses requires skills and competences to prepare the new generations and upskill the actual workforce. The purpose of this paper was to assess the skills and knowledge needs of future professionals in the agri-food and forestry sectors, from European stakeholders’ perspectives, by using a European questionnaire. Overall, respondents highlighted the importance of improving sustainability and soft and digital skills. In particular, food safety management and control; quality management and assurance of processes and product; efficient use of resources and organization; and planning, visioning, and strategic thinking skills ranked higher. In almost all countries, respondents had the perception that neither formal nor non-formal training covered training needs, though formal training was more suited to address education requirements. Both for organizations and individuals, it is far more relevant to have skills to perform than to have training recognition. The outcomes also provide findings that can be used to help develop updated curricula that meet the sector’s needs.

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“…The training of forestry engineers aims to prepare professionals who are capable of generating social, ecological, and economic progress, and thus respond to the aforementioned social demands through the appropriate use of science and technology. In this context, statistical techniques play a central role in decision-making process since excessive data collection, recording, and measurement are required to effectively monitor and implement natural resource management plans [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistics in Forest Engineering Degree Programs: What Should be Taught and Who Should Teach It

2023

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Quality in teaching Applied Statistics in the Degree in Forestry Engineering requires initially asking why to teach Statistics, who should teach it and what should be taught. This paper aims to answer these questions. Natural discussion groups have been used as a method to achieve the objectives. These groups were formed by professors from the UPM and the National University of Santiago del Estero, in Argentina. The results reached the consensus of the experts on the subject: the need for statistics in the training of forestry engineers and that the main contents should be descriptive statistics, sampling techniques, estimation and hypothesis testing and linear models. Finally, another result was that the teaching staff should be Forestry Engineers to show and involve students in real and practical cases that solve engineering problems that facilitate student learning.

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Skill Needs for Sustainable Agri-Food and Forestry Sectors (I): Assessment through European and National Focus Groups

Cited by 8 publications

References 33 publications

Does managerial training increase SME managers' effectiveness? A capability development approach

Does managerial training increase SME managers' effectiveness? A capability development approach

Skill Needs for Sustainable Agri-Food and Forestry Sectors (II): Insights of a European Survey

Statistics in Forest Engineering Degree Programs: What Should be Taught and Who Should Teach It

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