Boosting Digital Competencies and Skills in Forest Education

<< Background >>The application was motivated by a clearly recognized need to modernize the forestry education system at sectoral, organisational and individual levels. At the sectoral level, traditional classroom-based training in remote rural areas has become increasingly inaccessible and unattractive. It fails to meet the growing demand for skills in digital forest technologies and does little to attract younger generations to forestry careers.The lack of flexible, digital learning formats has led to declining participation rates and an ageing, predominantly male teaching workforce. On the organisational level, all partners acknowledged the urgent need to improve their methodological approaches, adopt blended learning models and collaboratively develop hybrid course structures that enhance both quality and accessibility. The project also responds to the individual need of forestry educators to overcome resistance to digital teaching and to build the competencies required to effectively combine digital tools with traditional instruction. FOREE aims to establish a flexible, innovative and collaborative learning environment that attracts a new generation of forest educators while boosting cross-border knowledge exchange and pedagogical innovation.<< Objectives >>The primary objective of the FOREE project was to support the transformation of forestry education in Europe by developing a Train-the-Trainer course and a MOOC focused on blended learning models. The goal was to shift from a predominantly classroom-based system to a more flexible, hybrid education approach that effectively integrates digital tools, platforms, and content into adult vocational training. By doing so, the project aimed to raise awareness of blended learning within the forestry community, enhance digital teaching competencies among educators and strengthen the capacity for innovation across the sector. FOREE also sought to embed the creation and use of digital content into practical field training, thereby normalizing digital practices within forestry education. Additionally, the project aimed to improve the quality, interactivity, and accessibility of e-learning formats, while fostering a collaborative European network of forestry education experts. These efforts directly contributed to the broader goals of promoting digital transformation, boosting resilience and improving vocational training across regional and national contexts.<< Implementation >>During the implementation of the project, a series of coordinated activities were carried out to support the transition towards a hybrid forestry education model across Europe. A key achievement was the development of a comprehensive, needs-based Train-the-Trainer (ToT) course and a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), both designed to equip forestry educators with the skills required for blended learning. The course design was based on an in-depth survey assessing the digital readiness of forest VET institutions, the current competencies of educators, and the challenges associated with adopting blended learning approaches. Additionally, national focus groups were established in each partner country to gather targeted input from forestry training centres, ensuring the content addressed both institutional and individual needs. The ToT course was piloted in four countries, with each partner acting as a regional hub to train both internal and external education staff. The MOOC was launched at a European level to reach a broader audience. To promote long-term impact, the project engaged policy and decision-makers, emphasizing the value of collaboration and shared digital infrastructure within the European forestry education landscape.<< Results >>The FOREE project delivered concrete, high-impact outcomes that are reusable, transferable, scalable, and openly accessible. A key early deliverable was the Train-the-Trainer Handbook covering digital technologies, learning activities, and forestry-related content and competencies, available in all partner languages and integrated into the SALTO training toolbox. Another key result was the development of a Train-the-Trainer (ToT) course on e-didactics and blended learning models, tailored to forest education professionals in three partner languages. The course emphasized practical, problem-based learning to build skills in digital content creation and knowledge transfer. The ToT course was piloted combining online sessions with practical exercises and real-world applications. Project partners acted as regional hubs, fostering peer learning and capacity building. Educators were supported in applying their new skills to create original digital materials. To further expand reach, a pilot MOOC was launched in English, targeting a broader European audience. It was translated and adapted for the German-speaking context and made available as a self-paced learning format. All training formats were evaluated based on participant feedback.