MSM to start new project on Circular Talent Development for Climate-Smart Agriculture

MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies (ECEE) in collaboration with Aeres Green Education Group has been granted a new 4-years project called "“MOBILISE: Circular Talent Development for Climate-Smart Agriculture”.

The MOBILISE project aims at launching a scalable and institutionally entrenched circular talent development
programme between the Netherlands and Tunisia, Egypt and Ethiopia for the strengthening of climate-smart
agriculture. The project, which specifically targets the agricultural sector, seeks to meet the demands of the
labour market in the participating countries by involving partners from the public and private sector while
developing cooperation with local higher educational institutions.

The activities of the MOBILISE project are divided in several phases, which are as follows:

Pre-Departure Phase:
Prior to departure, the project will offer innovative in-country training for students and young workers who wish
to participate in the skills enhancement programme. The training will be created through collaboration between
Dutch educational institutions and those in the partner countries to ensure its effectiveness and relevance. This
collaboration will promote the development of needs based curricula and strengthen the capacity of local
educational institutions to offer more market-oriented skills and competences to young workers seeking (self-)
employment in the horticulture sector.

Mobility Phase:
During the mobility phase, MOBILISE will train 120 participants with a three-month internship/training programme in the Netherlands. The training programme will include practical training elements on high-tech plant production systems, product quality, research applied to current and future horticultural practices, as well as sessions dedicated to personal professional development. Participants in the training courses will receive a certificate awarded in cooperation with leading institutions in the field of agricultural innovation in the Netherlands and the partner countries.

Return Phase:
The project has a unique in-country incubation return concept. 30 local staff members - 10 from each partner country - will be trained to implement return assistance. A career development assistance package will be designed and delivered, including network and relationship building and employment search support. Thanks to this, project participants will be able to use climate-smart agricultural practices, ensuring the economic, environmental and social sustainability of agricultural production.

Cross-Cutting Activities:
Needs assessments and research studies will be conducted for the participating countries. These will shed light on the needs for and available supply of skilled human resources in the horticulture markets, the role and functioning of the education system and the horticulture value chain, the main private sector actors and potential for new market entrants. Furthermore, multi-stakeholder coordination platforms will be established in each partner country. These will involve institutions responsible for talent development, employment, international mobility and the private sector to ensure alignment with labour market needs and, finally, training institutions that will be responsible for implementing the talent development programme.

​The Migration Partnership Facility

This news item has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union, contracted by ICMPD through the Migration Partnership Facility. The contents of this news item are the sole responsibility of the Maastricht School of Management, Maastricht University and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union and the one of ICMPD.

MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies

This project is part of MSM's Expert Center of Emerging Economies (ECEE) and will be led by Project Director Dr. Huub Mudde and Project Manager Stefano Locatelli. The project will run from June 2023 until May 2027. The department is an expert centre on local economic development in emerging and developing markets.​ We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.