The 3rd Transnational Meeting organised within the FOREST project took placed both on 15 and 16 April, focusing on the topic of certification and qualification in the forestry sector. The meeting, held in virtual mode, was hosted by the project partner Grm Novo Mesto.
The agenda was full of great initiatives and updates. Thus, on April 15th, following the institutional greetings of the project partner Grm Novo Mesto, a public conference served as the perfect occasion for each partner to present an overview of the existing certifications and qualifications at national level, outlining both the legislative and training aspects. Furthermore, criticalities in terms of standardisation compared to other European countries were also discussed. Forestry technicians and trainers from 5 European countries (Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria) working in the project partner organisations joined the meeting.
Safety in the workplace, certification, sustainability and innovation, and female inclusion in the forestry sector
Moving on, the main focus discussed on the second day was the development of a manual for the standardisation of forest workers’ competences. The technical book represents, in fact, one of the main project output. More in depth, the latter will collect all the good practices that emerged from the project including: safety in the workplace, certification, sustainability and innovation, and female inclusion in the forestry sector. In particular, the handbook will also contain a comparative analysis of forestry training programs among the 5 project partner countries, highlighting strengths and gaps; while proposing recommendations and suggestions to achieve a European standardisation of forestry training.
From a general perspective, partners discussed what were the main issues to tackle within the project; how to develop the manual, while defining key points of the publication and a possible index. In particular, special attention was given to comparative analysis. Hence, through interactive brainstorming, partners reflected and defined which are the main targets to address in the publication; and what are the objectives they want to achieve.
Finally, partners started to discuss and reflect on methodology and the activities that will follow.
Last but not least, the latter aspect will be further analysed in a next meeting scheduled for May. Join us and do not miss any updates!