University of Adelaide's international partnership creates training courses in India

The university led an international consortium of vocational education and training (VET) providers in setting up training courses in India.

Study in Australia: As part of an international consortium, the University of Adelaide's 16-month project helped in setting up training courses in India. The project is led by Dr Tamara Jackson, of the University’s School of Agriculture Food and Wine and is funded by the Federal Government. The project focuses on developing skills in the areas of organic farming, carbon farming, and digital agriculture. The international training partners of this project also visited Adelaide University in July.

Dr Jackson said, "A comprehensive scoping study identified skill sets that were capable of contributing to the future prosperity and competitive nature of the Indian agricultural sector, based on the ability to further enhance the productivity, profitability and sustainability of agricultural systems."

“This project has delivered a demand-driven set of future skills in Indian agriculture that are aligned with existing programs and embedded in effective institutions, enhancing connections between Australian and Indian actors in the agriculture VET system, as well as building a cohort of training providers who can deliver quality training to a wider stakeholder network," added Dr Jackson.

University of Adelaide's project more details

The project funding focuses on five key skill areas including Carbon Farming Practitioner, Livestock Green Management Promoter, Digital Agriculture Extension Promoter, Integrated Farming Practitioner and Organic Farming and Business Promoter.

As per the roundtable discussion held in New Delhi between the Indian Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, the Australian Government Department of Education, and project team members, the opportunities through this project include scaling of course implementation, dual certification, business opportunities and research connections.

“This project also highlighted how micro-credentials can offer flexible training options that benefit industries, particularly in the realm of online course delivery,” said Dr Jackson.

Other than the University of Adelaide, the consortium also consisted of the Australian College of Agriculture and Horticulture, Skills Insight, Ironwood College, National Skills Foundation of India, Agricultural Skills Council of India, Aventia Institute and Caron Friendly from Australia, Mahindra and Mahindra, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Aga Khan Rural Support Program, and Centre for Sustainable Agriculture in India.

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