The main objective of this grant proposal is to better equip high school students interested in food processing with the skills needed to enter the labour market. Our goals respond to KCHF objective 2: Specific practical skills and exposure to new technology. Through the stages of entrepreneurship training, students acquire those practical skills, which are important in the workplace; they learn how to properly use technical equipment and become familiar with new technologies.

This grant will help to prepare students to enter the grain, dairy, and fruit and vegetable processing industries. This objective will be achieved through two main components:

1) Our school has various school cabinets/laboratories to accommodate students of various profiles, such as economy, agriculture, food processing etc. While we have been able to renovate and equip most of these labs with necessary equipment, the Food Technology lab is rather outdated because of lack of funds. In addition, there is an increasing number of students interested in Food Processing and Manufacturing, and our current Food Technology Lab is not big enough to accommodate this growing need. To address this issue, we are proposing the construction of an Extension (Annex) where the new Food Technology Lab will be housed. The grant will cover the construction costs as well as the costs related to the new equipment we have to buy for the lab.

2) We believe that offering students in-company training offers them a chance to gain skills which they can use in the labor market. For this reason, our school has established partnerships with three companies where students will be able to complete training. The grant will allow us to better prepare teachers and in-company trainers to support students in gaining the necessary skills.

Awarded amount: 447.700 EUR