Following our final in-person Transnational Partner Meeting (TPM) in Galway, hosted by Paula Whyte of Momentum, the SmartSkills project is moving into its most exciting phase yet. While the rain may have fallen on the Wild Atlantic Way, the energy within the consortium was bright as we finalised the foundations of our digital toolkit and mapped out the months ahead.
Building a Multilingual Digital Gateway
The core of our mission is accessibility. We are thrilled to announce that our Open Educational Resources (OERs) will be published in the coming weeks in Danish, Polish, Slovak, Czech, and Italian, joining our existing English resources.
All 6 courses and 30 modules are hosted on the SMART SKILLS Digital Learning Platform. Whether you are a farmer, educator, VET learner, or rural development agent, this platform is your interactive gateway to mastering sustainable, digital agriculture. We’ve designed it with rural reality in mind:
- Practical Microlearning: Concise modules that fit into a busy farm schedule.
- Digital Farmer Glossary: A searchable, jargon-free guide to help you navigate tech and sustainability terms without the tech-speak.
- LinkedIn Learner Group: A dedicated space to ask questions, share tips, and collaborate with a growing community of agro-learners.
The Roadmap: From Pilot to Co-Creation
The Galway meeting was pivotal for planning our upcoming rollout. Here is what the next few months look like:
- June & July: We begin pilot testing both our Learning Platform and our Train the Trainer programme, ensuring our educators and regional agri agencies are fully equipped to support the farming community.
- July Onwards: Each partner organisation will coordinate its own Regional Collaboration Workshops for local farmers.
These aren’t your typical classroom sessions. Using a Design Thinking framework, we will work alongside farmers and smallholders to co-create individual, feasible action plans. The goal is to move beyond theory and help each participant identify exactly how intuitive digital tools can work for their specific business and lifestyle.
Culture, Connection, and Community
Of course, a meeting in the West of Ireland wouldn’t be complete without a taste of local life. After our working sessions, the consortium team headed into Galway city centre to experience the heart of Irish culture. From sharing food to listening to traditional live music alongside the locals, these moments reminded us why we do this work: to keep regional and rural communities vibrant, connected, and resilient.
Who is SmartSkills for?
- Farmers & Agro-SMEs looking to boost productivity through intuitive technology.
- VET Educators seeking ready-to-use digital resources.
- Agri-professionals aiming to stay ahead in a rapidly changing sector.
Stay tuned as we launch our multilingual modules and begin our workshops this summer!
