Farmers Vocational Education and Training: The Case of Public Institutes of Vocational Training at ELGO-DIMITRA ^†

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the current organizational climate of Public Vocational Education and Training Initiatives at ELGO-DIMITRA in Greece. It utilized a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the Institute’s programs. The findings indicate a need to ensure the quality of Vocational Education and Training Initiatives and enhance the educational services provided to young farmers by adopting a regularly updated framework. This study is crucial for future research, and it is important to replicate it with different focus groups, including trainers, trainees, and graduates, who can provide valuable insight into the sustainability of the Vocational Education and Training Initiatives.

1. Introduction

The transformation of the agri-food sector is on the threshold of tectonic changes and challenges. The continuous emergence of new agricultural specialties, directly or indirectly related to the agricultural production process, requires investment support measures, and systematic and continuous training of young farmers.

The integration of young people into the agricultural environment of Greece is considered more necessary and timelier than ever, as they possess the appropriate characteristics that will push the agricultural sector towards sustainable development and competitiveness [1]. So, the agricultural sector needs people who fit the following descriptions:

• Receptive to innovation that requires know-how, so people with greater ability to innovate are able to absorb the knowledge at the same time;
• Possess the ability to seize potential opportunities and take entrepreneurial risks.

Moreover, the shift of the new generation to agricultural production should be a conscious choice. Only in this way will the new generation realize its primary role in shaping a favorable framework for innovative agricultural businesses based on extroversion and cooperation (clusters, cooperatives, etc.). This will result to the renewal of local societies that are at risk of desertification, while at the same time giving a perspective and impetus to the Greek agricultural economy.

The Public Institutes of Vocational Training (PIVT) of ELGO-DIMITRA, constitute an important “investment” for the acquisition of upgraded and certified knowledge-skills-abilities in specialized subjects, the adoption of the agricultural entrepreneurial and cooperative culture and the development of extroversion. “Today’s farmers are young people of the Renaissance, they must possess the right mix: science, economics, entrepreneurship and environmental awareness to face the challenges of the future” [2].

The object of this study is to investigate the organizational environment of the PIVT of ELGO-DIMITRA [3]. Specifically, we analyze and examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the six aforementioned Institutes by applying a SWOT analysis, as perceived by the Directors of the Institutes of ELGO-DIMITRA.

The main aim is to draw useful conclusions regarding the critical role they are called upon to play, due to the continuous new data being generated in the agri-food sector.

2. Materials and Methods

In this study a SWOT framework was used to examine the organizational environment of the PIVT of ELGO-DIMITRA in Greece. The research focus group consisted of six Directors of the Institutes located in the regions of Attica, Ioannina, Heraklion, Corinth, Larissa, and Trikala. All six (6) participants were asked to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that may affect the future and the sustainability of the Greek Vocational Education and Training (VET) Institutes. Data were collected in November and December 2022.

3. Results and Discussion

The collected data are grouped as follows (Table 1).

Table 1. SWOT Analysis of PIVT of ELGO-DIMITRA.

Strengths	Weakness	Opportunities	Threats
Multi-year presence of schools in agricultural education	Limited financial resources	Use of funding provided by the new CAP for agricultural education and training	Continuously changing institutional framework
Free education, housing and food	Deterioration of building facilities, renovation of infrastructure	Upgrading the educational services of the education through targeted initiatives in the organization’s new law [4]	High competition with other public and private institutes providing corresponding specializations in the agricultural direction
Appropriate equipped building and laboratory facilities	Lack of permanent staff (educational, administrative and workers)	Creation of new agricultural regional directorates/PIVT	Continuously emerging political—economic—social—environmental challenges
Provision of specific agriculture specializations	Exclusion of young people finishing junior high school	Introducing new specific agriculture specializations	Population aging—desertification agricultural regions
Experienced specialized staff (administrative, educational, technical, workers)	A difficulty observed on the part of the newly admitted vocational high school graduates in the 3rd semester of PIVT in the course: “Gardening Machines and Tools” as they have not been taught it like the DIEK trainees in the first year.	Delivery of distance education due to COVID-19	Years of degradation of the role of school vocational orientation
Educational activities through the ERASMUS+ Program	The training guides were delayed in being approved by the Ministry of Education	New ways of publishing activities and educational projects	Candidates that had previously passed the national examinations did not attend the PIVT
Partnerships with other organizations/collaboration with businesses, local bodies	Greater cooperation with agricultural research institutes of ELGO-DIMITRA	Initiatives and measures to enhance practice support	Delay in activating the evaluation system of educational units of the PIVT
Collaborative climate at all levels	During the studies, a percentage of the students leave their studies at PIVT for specific reasons

The effectiveness of the quality of agricultural PIVT, as a public and common good “should not be limited to administrative and building criteria, nor to a sterile implementation of decisions taken at a central level” [5,6]. Therefore, they should gather those elements, which strengthen the qualitative performance of their educational work:

• The inseparable link with research;
• Years of educational experience and culture;
• Know-how, extroverted nature;
• Cooperation with other partners and businesses [5].

This is so that they become “an attractive, effective and quality educational policy tool” [7].

ELGO-DIMITRA has another important advantage over other VET providers, with similar agricultural specializations. It has become a central pillar for the direct alignment with the objectives of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), contributing decisively to the connection and consolidation of the tripartite: agricultural Institutes of Vocational Training, Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the productive development of the country. ELGO-DIMITRA’s dual role in agricultural Institutes of Vocational Training is both in the provision of initial VET and in continuous VET (implementation of training programs).

As a consequence of the undeniable interconnection of these two subsystems and their direct function with the evolving field of the agri-food sector, their integration is imperative [8].

The consolidated SWOT analysis was the basis for the identification of the key components for the formation of a framework for upgrading the quality of agricultural VET through the Public VET Institutes, which should be reviewed regularly and includes (3) groups (Figure 1) coming from the internal and external environment of the Public VET Institutes and also includes priority thematic areas aimed at seeking quality indicators to achieve the objectives:

Figure 1. Framework for ensuring and upgrading the quality of educational services of agricultural PIVT [9,10,11].

Thus, the key to the modernization and sustainable development of farms and businesses is a well-trained agricultural workforce, receptive to innovation, entrepreneurship and partnerships [12]. The driving force will be the agricultural PIVT, as they offer multiple benefits:

• Personal development of trainees through the acquisition of upgraded and certified knowledge, skills and competencies.
• Creating an innovative business ecosystem.
• Socio-economic development and regeneration of local communities.

The research is of particular interest for future research. It is proposed to replicate the current study with different focus groups. A study of trainers and trainees, as well as graduates would give insight into how they perceive the sustainability of the VET Initiatives. The use of quantitative research can also provide an avenue for future research.

4. Conclusions

The PIVT of ELGO-DIMITRA comes to bear a greater extent than before: the education and training of young farmers for the development and strengthening of agricultural entrepreneurship. Therefore, their approach should direct young farmers primarily towards the transmission and implementation of entrepreneurial skills, the search for innovative business ideas and finally, the organization and coordination of an entrepreneurial activity.