Farmer's Association updates online VET portal

The German Farmer's Association (DBV) has updated and expanded its internet portal. In doing so, the DBV is supporting agricultural training and continuing education practice, as well as the ongoing development and improvements in the quality of vocational education and training. "High quality training is a requirement if the dual training system in agriculture is to remain attractive and fit for the future. The updated quality portal offers specific ideas to support training practice and represents a win in terms of training quality," explains Werner Schwarz, DBV training chairman.

The new section "Fit machen für den Job" ["Get ready for work"] provides explanatory information about the teaching of employability skills which is also useful in terms of implementation on the ground. Here, trainers and examiners will find operational work tasks, methods and examples to support employability-oriented training and examinations. "By the end, trainees should be able to independently plan, undertake and monitor the actions they take at work in a self-reliant manner. The new employability guidelines create a viable basis for delivering these employability skills," explains Helma Ostermayer, advisor and co-author of the DBV employability guidelines.

The extensive "training glossary" with over 300 technical terms from the area of agricultural vocational education and training has also been updated and expanded. The training glossary especially needed updating in light of the amendments to the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) in 2020.

The portal has been in existence since 2017 and, with around 14,000 visitors each year, is an essential platform for vocational education and training practice in agriculture. All content and materials have been optimised for use with mobile end devices and can be used free of charge.