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The agricultural students are preparing for Industry 4.0
2019-1-CZ01-KA202-061136
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 means not only increase of efficiency but also new demands on machines operating. Changes that Industry 4.0 brings have substantial influence on 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 labour market and will also place new demands on graduate knowledge and skills. It is needed to implement new elements of vocational preparation with regard to new needs of labour market. It is important to strengthen the cooperation among schools and labour market. The best forms how to fulfil that are student and teacher excursions at social partners or by means of experts’ workshops. There are different conditions how to adapt to Industry 4.0 in individual countries. Thanks to this project students will have chance to compare real conditions for farming and implementation of new technologies in agriculture in these countries. This project will enable them to get real overview focused on concrete technologies and results of farming in a sample of four EU countries. It will bring them new view on a real implementation of new technologies in these countries and conditions in agricultural sector there. The participants will visit schools involved, 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 agricultural sector and the level of agricultural education condition and quality in the European framework. The project will also motivate students to improve their knowledge and skills, including language skills. The participating students participating will be future farmers of the EU and they will have to know different conditions in agricultural sector in different parts of EU to understand the way of necessity of dividing the Europe in producing different commodities in different parts of the EU. The project is focused on agricultural secondary school students and teachers. The project develops their knowledge and skills in 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 on used machinery and new technologies. Each team will choose an agricultural company or a farm that use 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 opportunity to discuss with farmers and managers the issues of introducing and using of new technologies, experience or barriers. The team from the host country will prepare a presentation about the country, school and situation in agricultural enterprising and will present it. The students will take photos and videos from workshops and excursions. The teachers will have opportunity to compare agricultural education and conditions for practical training there. They will discuss and share experience with situation in their schools, as for the curricula, machinery, evaluation and collaboration with social partners. Thanks to participating on workshops organized by machinery producers and sellers and thanks to the excursions they will have materials for survey that will bring summary about strengths and weaknesses between vocational preparation and the development in agricultural sector with 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, showing the workshops, and another one a final report summarizing the situation in involved countries.