Multilingual learning resource website launched by EIT Food’s FoodEducators programme for teachers and educators.
The easy-to-use, freely accessible teaching resources complement national school curricula by allowing secondary school students to grow their understanding of in-demand skills in the agrifood sector whilst also being upskilled.
The European agrifood sector is facing challenges regarding growth, fragmentation, low innovation spending and the slow uptake of new technologies. In addition, there are wider societal challenges like demographic growth, competition for resources and climate change. Meanwhile, the European food industry employs approximately 15.9 million people aged over 15, representing 8% of total employment. Such a workforce demands a wide variety of profiles with specific skills and competences focused on sustainability, bio-economy, digitalisation, communication, strategic & critical thinking, as well as knowledge of the entire food value chain. FoodEducators’ lesson plans target children from the age of 15-18 with a challenge-based approach, building on the local ecosystem and opportunities. The aim is to inspire and encourage young people to study a food-related discipline while raising awareness on opportunities and career tracks in the agrifood sector. The lesson plans within the Agrifood Jobs & Careers theme focus on exploring food systems, regenerative agriculture, food science, and additionally on fostering food entrepreneurship. These resources enablee students to explore the various aspects and diversity of food careers. Besides the lesson plans by FoodEducators, EIT Food is also offering “A Day in the Life” videos introducing various food-related professions from farmer to start-up founder, micro-baker, and even bugs breeder, widening students’ scope of what agrifood careers can mean. EIT Food also organises Career Days through partners, involving students in study visits to various facilities and agrifood-related events. FoodEducators programme was launched in 2022 in 5 pilot countries and is planning to expand to altogether 18 locations next year. This means that lesson plans will be available in 18 languages, adding national contexts to each theme. Based on the pilots, both teachers and students were satisfied with the learning experience showing a clear need for a deeper exploration of the realm of agrifood careers compared to previous opportunities.
We encourage all educators to join us and use FoodEducators materials in their classes, clubs and thematic weeks! More info and further readings: FoodEducators teaching resources website
EIT Food Agrifood Careers Tips Booklet
A Day in the Life video series
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Viktoria Soos, FoodEducators
