Capacity building for the transformation of Colleges of Agriculture to Agricultural Training Institutes

Sector

Agriculture education

Project budget

The maximum budget for this project is € 2 million.

Organisations

This project has been developed by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). The tender for this project expired on 5 November. Nuffic has awarded this tender to Stichting DLO/Centre for Development Innovation (CDI), which has formed a consortium with Aeres Group, MDF Training & Consultancy and the International Centre for Development Oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA).

Project description

There has been a dramatic restructuring of the higher education landscape during the past decade in South Africa. Nine of the twelve Colleges of Agriculture are HEQC-accredited, but were not part of the educational reforms.

All colleges, with the exception of Fort Cox and Grootfontein, fall under the Provincial Departments of Agriculture. DAFF has conducted a comprehensive investigation into the status of the colleges in order to define a roadmap in the light of the aims and objectives of the country's agrarian and land reform and with an eye on transforming agriculture.

In 2005 DAFF approved the Agricultural Education and Training Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, also known as the AET Strategy. The policy environment is currently dominated by three issues:

• land reform
• economic empowerment of black farmers
• a strategic vision for agriculture

Agricultural education and training is an indispensable cornerstone of these issues. The Agricultural Training Institutes (ATIs) will play a critical role in this regard. The colleges are well positioned to continue making a formidable contribution to the agricultural sector. However, they need to reposition themselves, find a new focus and new capital.

Objectives

The overall objective of the project is to build the capacity of staff who are transforming the Colleges of Agriculture into Agricultural Training Institutes by offering excellent agricultural education to better address the needs of the labour market.

The specific objective is to assist the Colleges of Agriculture to comply with the approved norms and standards of Agricultural Training Institutes to achieve excellence in the provision of agricultural education.