EU Food Security Hub

<< Background >>The organizations in the consortium designed and applied for the EU Food Security Hub project to develop responses to the persistent lack of educational opportunities, skills-building initiatives, and labour market integration pathways within food sovereignty, identified through years of practical experience. The project addressed several key needs identified through our work in vocational education and training (VET) and social inclusion. A major need was the green skills gap: while demand for green jobs in agriculture and food security grew, many low-skilled individuals lacked access to training. The project aimed to bridge this gap by aligning VET programs with labour market needs. We also addressed the lack of inclusive vocational training, as many systems failed to support marginalized groups. The project improved access with more tailored and inclusive educational approaches. Additionally, it focused on the professional development of VET practitioners, equipping them with updated tools to support at-risk groups. Finally, it promoted knowledge exchange and community resilience, particularly around food security, contributing to systemic change at the EU level.<< Objectives >>The project aimed to achieve the following objectives:OBJ 1: Coordinate action among VET centres, NGOs, public administrations, academia, and social economy enterprises at the European level to support the creation of future-oriented green jobs in the sustainable food security ecosystem, while increasing labour inclusion for vulnerable groups.OBJ 2: Promote European knowledge-sharing and peer-learning meetings so that organisations and new cross-sector actors can design, implement, and test an innovative research and VET training programme focused on working with people at risk of social exclusion in sustainable food and agriculture.OBJ 3: Increase opportunities for the continuous professional development of VET professionals and organisations, while enhancing access for low-skilled individuals to high-quality VET in key green competences within an inclusive and non-discriminatory framework.OBJ 4: Disseminate and scale up project results across Europe, especially the EU Guidelines to support local governments in adopting new approaches to fight food insecurity.<< Implementation >>The project developed all of the activities planned, namely and in short:1. Developed a Competence Framework and VET itineraries Report for green jobs in food security and agriculture, fostering cooperation among partners and enabling future green career paths.2. Designed a cross-sector Training Program, MOOC, and Toolkit for VET professionals, institutions, universities, CSOs, public bodies, and social enterprises working on food security, social farming, and inclusion.3. Tested and evaluated these tools through EU-wide Exchange and Peer Learning Workshops, enhancing the skills and knowledge of VET professionals, especially when working with vulnerable groups.4. Created EU Guidelines to support local governments in adopting inclusive strategies against food insecurity, increasing their capacity to adapt to the green transition.5. Disseminated results via a European Conference, Networking event, and an Awareness Campaign targeting VET, CSOs, academia, and public institutions.<< Results >>The project followed the designed methodology to reach the following results, aligned with the main objectives:1. Fostered coordinated action among VET centres, NGOs, public administrations, academia, and social economy actors across Europe to support green job creation in sustainable food systems and enhance labour inclusion for vulnerable groups.2.Designed, developed, and tested a complete cross-sector VET training programme—including a MOOC and Toolkit—focused on supporting people at risk of social exclusion through sustainable food and agriculture. Peer-learning and exchange activities enabled co-creation of inclusive training solutions.3.Expanded continuous professional development opportunities for VET professionals and improved access to high-quality, inclusive green skills training for low-skilled individuals.4.Scaled and disseminated project results across Europe, including the publication of EU Guidelines to support local governments in adopting innovative, inclusive strategies to fight food insecurity and promote a just green transition.