 The project aim was to identify the re-skilling needs of professional agriculturists working in Northern Ireland and the border counties and to develop a common cross-border continuous personal development programme (PDP) to record training activities and gain official recognition for personal training undertaken by
participants.
Through the project a consultant was engaged to assist the two
professional bodies, the Northern Ireland Institute of Agricultural Science (NIIAS) and the Agricultural Science Association (ASA) to design a
comprehensive survey questionnaire and oversee the conduct of a skills needs survey of 50 professional agriculturists working in Northern Ireland and 50 working in the border counties.
The completed survey identified ways in which professional agriculturists working on both sides of the border can improve communication with each other and share common experiences.
A further aim of the project was to design a computer programme to manage the PDP and to pilot the programme for a 12-month period among 60 Institute members. A comprehensive database of relevant information sources with emphasis on e-learning and environmental issues was also developed to assist professional agriculturists re-skill and to complement in-service training provided by employers.
|
