The project consortium participants met in Iisalmi, Finland, from March 20-25, 2022, at Savonia University of Applied Sciences to discuss the next steps in the project and exchange valuable ideas about the implementation of practical training phases in studies and the use of e-learning technologies in daily teaching.

During the 5 days, the project consortium was hosted by staff from Savonia University of Applied Sciences. The first day was devoted to disseminating the results of the “Baseline Study” conducted by the project, which, among other things, surveys the opinions of stakeholders from the public and private sectors on the topic of practice-oriented teaching at universities. Important findings were that potential employers in the agricultural sector in Albania/Kosovo desire IT skills, foreign languages and practical skills of graduates. These requirements can be met very well in the DualAFS project through the mobilities of students, staff trainings, the cooperation of universities and practice partners and the close cooperation with European partners (Savonia/NGU).

An important part of this year’s Steering Committee meeting was the self-evaluation of the project activities to date. Such a review takes place regularly and is led by experts from the European partners (Savonia/NGU). The aim is to promote the strengths of the project cooperation, but also to identify difficulties that can be addressed and improved in the follow-up period. Such quality management ensures that the set goals can be achieved efficiently.

Among other project management topics, the program also included a study trip to Ponsse (manufacturer of forestry machinery) and a visit to the campus in Kuopio. Here, opportunities for cooperation between industry partners and universities were discussed and the importance of cooperation between agricultural partners, university and industry was made clear.