Interactive Learning of Energetic Utilisation of Agricultural Products and By-products
HU/05/B/F/PP-170012
Project Introduction
Researches and experiments have been carried out on bioenergy production all over the world for the utilisation of renewable sources. The industrial utilization of biomass has become a practise all over Europe, a considerable amount of GDP in European countries comes from this sector. Energetic utilisation of agricultural products and by-products is important for the future development of agriculture as well. Restructuring the agricultural production scale to make a shift towards alternative solutions is one of the best ways to enhance regional productivity.
Although there were courses, modules in the frame of university education, that partially meet certain expectations (e.g: waste-management, technology) in different EC member countries, there was no certified e-learning training and education program offered with a special focus devoted to Energetic Utilisation of Agricultural Products and By-products.
The main aim of this project was to develop a certified e-learning training and education program and guidelines that includes e-learning elements through a step by step procedure, based on the experience of different partners, to support target group in their professional advancement.
The project was financed by the Leonardo da Vinci Community vocational training action programme, the project was coordinated by Határok Nélkül Kft (Without Frontiers Office) working together with partners from Romania, Hungary, Greece and Austria.
Target sector
The targeted sector are all sectors engaged in agricultural processes that results in raw material for the energetic utilization of agricultural products and the newly emerging renewable energy market and industry, agribusiness and consultancy in general.
End-users
We generally focus on educational institutions: Universities, Colleges, Vocational Schools; companies, NGO’s providing vocational training, or other form of education. There was existing vocational education on such waste management in Hungary previously (e.g. at Szent Istvan University), but such coherent covering the topic on energetic utilisation of agricultural products was missing.
The developed ILEAP-e-learning platform
The ILEAP e-learning platform provides a training material for those who intend to get knowledge and qualification in the energetic utilisation of agricultural products and by-products. The material and its platform has been elaborated by an international consortium in the frame of a Leonardo da Vinci programme. The project gathered international knowledge from Hungary, Greece, Austria and Romania.
The target groups
1) Basic level: households, self-employed and small entrepreneur farmers seeking an alternative employment or utilisation of land.
2) Advanced level: concentrates on giving training with suitable information for energy and agribusiness professionals, consultants and actors responsible for sustainable energy planning at a local and national scale, mainly employed by municipalities, chambers, NGOs and associations also.
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The structure of the courses
Both course consists of 4 modules:
- Agricultural skills
- Technical skills
- Management skills
- Financial and legal skills
Each of the modules includes 3-7 subjects (topics):
| TOPIC No. | TOPIC NAME |
| T1 | Agricultural Production I. |
| T2 | Agricultural Production II. |
| T3 | Applied Physics |
| T4 | Applied Chemistry |
| T5 | Agroeconomy |
| T6 | Applied ecology |
| T7 | Biomass Suitable for Energetic Utilisation |
| T8 | Waste Handling, Management |
| T9 | Safety, Safety Regulations |
| T10 | Technology of the Energetic Utilisation of Agricultural Products and By-products |
| T11 | Logistics of the Energetic Utilisation of Agricultural Products and By-products |
| T12 | Computer Skills and Data processing |
| T13 | Management and Organisational Skills |
| T14 | Interpersonal and Communication Skills |
| T15 | Career Development Planning |
| T16 | Contract Models Legal Background |
| T17 | National Energy Utilisation Policy, Trends, Support Schemes |
| T18 | EC directives, Support Schemes, Programmes and Authorities |
| T19 | Strategy, Planning and Marketing |
| T20 | Development and Finance |
The course:
Each of the modules includes 3-7 subjects. 4 weeks (basic level) and 2 weeks (advanced level) are available for learning each subject. After the last topic of each module there is a 2-week-long break for preparing for the module exam. In the middle of the courses (between the last topic of the second module and the module exam of the module) and before the final exam there are 4-week-long breaks. Through the modules the students can gain the relevant knowledge within the field of the energetic utilization of agricultural products and by-products ranging from technical, logistics knowledge through agricultural production to financial and legislative topics. After each module exam there is one week for the resit, except from the final exam, where there are 2 weeks for those who have failed the final exam.
The people who work/teach in the courses:
– the director
– the 4 module-heads (appointed by the director)
– the lecturers
– the ICT staff
– the administrative staff