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

Abstract

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.

Relevant Skills for Employment and Entrepreneurship in the Agri-Food Sector

“…The importance of digital skills was also recognized as a priority of the current era [72,73]. Also, results obtained in another study that assessed the skills and knowledge needs of future professionals in the agri-food and forestry sectors emphasized the importance of improving digital skills, management, food safety, quality management, efficient use of resources, organization and planning [76].…”

Requirements for information technology application competence for Vietnam agro-forestry students in the time of the 4th technology revolution

“…According to research by Ndem, Ogba, and Egbe (2015) students only have theoretical knowledge about some machinery and equipment used in agriculture but have not yet used them. In some European countries, there are not yet skilled workers in the agricultural sector to exploit the potentials of data processing and analysis, communication through digital technology, use of field operations management and farm management information systems, e-commerce and e-marketing (Ramalho Ribeiro et al, 2023). In Vietnam, we conducted a survey for students at The University of Agriculture and Forestry -Thai Nguyen University (TUAF).…”