Smooth Transition from Academia to a Carrier in Agro-Biotechnology: Designing Carrier Plan

"<< Background >>We applied for this project to contribute to the growth of the agricultural biotechnology industry, which has been a vital sector for Europe's economy. By providing students with the skills and knowledge they needed to succeed in this field, the project would help bridge the gap between education and industry needs, which would lead to a more productive and innovative workforce. This project was a necessity as a direct response to the European Commission’s emphasis in the Bio-economy Strategy on the urgent need for skilled graduates and industry-aligned education to strengthen the bio-economy and accelerate the transition to a circular and low-carbon economy. The project was necessary in terms of referring to the biotechnology industry’s immediate demand for interdisciplinary skills, real-world problem-solving, and effective communication in graduates.<< Objectives >>By implementing the AGROBIOTECH+ project, we wanted to achieve:*To help students make a smooth transition from academia to the agro-biotechnology industry by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed.*To contribute to decreasing the unemployment of European higher education graduates by increasing their qualifications and skills to match the needs of the agricultural biotechnology industry. * To create a curriculum that enhances the transition from higher education to the labour market in agricultural biotechnology and aligns with recent technological achievements.*To develop teaching materials to support the delivery of the curriculum. *To highlight the experiences and expectations of sector employees and employers through the creation of success stories and videos.* To provide students with a handbook for career planning in the agricultural biotechnology industry.*To organise agrobiotech events to bring students and industry professionals together to foster networking and knowledge-sharingThese objectives were linked to the priorities selected for the project in that they aim to address the misalignment between university learning and workplace practices in agricultural biotechnology. << Implementation >>During the AGROBIOTECH+ project, we carried out several key activities.We managed the project by overseeing coordination, budget, and quality through regular monitoring.We collected data through 6 surveys and 6 workshops.We designed:- A Career Plan Training Programme based on data from questionnaires and workshops, which informed an innovative higher education curriculum. A Kick-off Meeting in Nitra supported this process.- Success Stories Video Tutorials with expert talks, animations, and multilingual captions, planned during a transnational meeting in Elche.- A Handbook for Career Planning, integrating the Project-Based Learning approach (PBL), and compiled 12 agro-biotech success stories. A meeting in Zlín supported the monitoring of the piloting process, which involved 113 students participating in the course. IDEA carried out the pilot process at the University of Lomza as an additional support to the partnership.The number of involved students in the partner countries was given as follows:SUA: 26UMH: 23ULST: 21UTB: 20IDEA: 23Finally, we organised AGROBIOTECH+ Events in Nitra, Çanakkale, Lomza, Elche, Zlin, and Timisoara (335 participants) to present project results and connect academia with industry.<< Results >>The concrete outputs of the project:- 6 survey reports and 6 workshop reports inquiring about the essential topics that should have been included in the curriculum (HE training programme)- A Higher Education Training programme (Curriculum) ""designing career plan"" developed through the PBL approach- 7 expert video tutorials, and 6 animated videos- A Handbook for career plannıng including 12 success stories from sector representatives and academicians actively collaborating with the sector. - 5 Pilot reports testing the effectiveness of the project outputs.- 6 Agrobiotech+ events, which aimed to share and promote the use of the project results. The AGROBIOTECH+ project successfully developed a scalable learning model based on Project-Based Learning (PBL), which can be applied in agro-biotechnology and also other similar fields such as food technology and health sciences. This replicable approach provided a good practice example for other higher education institutions and offers a valuable foundation for future Erasmus+ projects.The project had a clear impact on students, enhancing their 21st-century skills for career development, such as self-assessment, goal-setting, job search and interview, networking, and mentorship."