In the framework of the YOUCooperATE (Youth Cooperation for Agricultural Renewal through Education) project implemented in partnership with five countries (Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Italy, Romania), the Institute of Agricultural Economics teamed up with teachers and students of three agricultural vocational training institutions coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture. In the spring semester of the 2021 school year, in order to expand students’ knowledge and skills in the field of cooperation and cooperation, it also draws the attention of teachers to the innovative teaching method and curriculum developed through the project.
With the help of the effective participation and work of the teachers of the mentioned schools, a diverse series of activities could be realized within the framework of the project. A total of nearly 150 students from the four agricultural vocational schools took part in a preparatory course as part of the program. After that, about 50 volunteer students completed the experimental online modules, which served to further deepen their knowledge and interest through playful tasks.
The students were able to use their knowledge gained in the online course in a business plan preparation competition, in which the employees of the Institute of Agricultural Economics and the FruitVeb Hungarian Interprofessional Organization for Fruit and Vegetable played a preparatory and evaluative role. As part of the competition, six teams of 3-5 people from each of the four participating institutions presented their idea of cooperative cooperation online.
Students starting the online course visited the sites of cooperatives in different parts of the country, where they could experience the benefits of cooperation up close and see the state-of-the-art processing, packaging, sales processes and techniques used by members.
The next step in the YOUCooperATE project is the international competition of the winning teams of the countries participating in the project, which is expected to take place in October 2021. The curricula available on the interface developed within the framework of the project can be used as a tool to support agricultural vocational training already in the autumn semester of the 2021/2022 school year, helping to deepen the knowledge related to agricultural cooperation.
