Strengthening Vocational Education and Training to Prevent Food Loss and Waste

forthcoming

SAVE aims to strengthen the capacity of VET providers and trainers in Madagascar to deliver innovative and inclusive training that equips farmers, workers in the agrifood value chain, agribusinesses, VET students, women and youth in rural areas with technical, green, digital, entrepreneurial, soft and resilience skills to combat Food Loss and Waste (FLW), while promoting green and digital transitions, enhancing the VET system, and contributing to food security, biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic growth. SAVE brings together 4 EU-based partners and 5 Malagasy organisations to create the SAVE holistic model, which can be transferred to other Sub-Saharan countries and beyond by utilizing a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach, that facilitates not only a deeper understanding of the theoretical underpinnings and the causes of FLW but also places significant emphasis on its inter-connections with food insecurity, climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and socio-economic challenges. SAVE develops two joint training courses, the Training Programme for farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, VET students and women and youth in rural areas, and the Practical Handbook for VET trainers, based on an innovative Integrated Competence Framework fully aligned with EU quality standards. These resources will be freely available through the SAVE Digital Learning Space, offering engaging and accessible learning experiences. Through capacity building mobilities, pilot trainings, pop-up learning interventions and work-based learning activities, VET trainers, agrifood practitioners, agri-entrepreneurs and VET students will gain applied knowledge, strengthening the relevance and attractiveness of the Malagasy VET system for FLW prevention. The transnational Collaborative Learning Network for FLW Reduction will support the uptake of the SAVE results, advocate for policy-making and enhance the quality and long-term impact of VET provision.