With its new impulse paper on Lifelong Learning, Microdegrees and Microcredentials, EQA provides forward-looking impulses for the agricultural, forestry and food industries. These sectors are undergoing profound transformation: digitalization, climate change, the Green Economy, demographic shifts, and cross-border market dynamics are fundamentally changing the world of work and the skills it demands.
Our innovative paper was developed by an interdisciplinary panel that brings together expertise from education, science, business, and practice. It addresses the growing importance of knowledge-based work, new management concepts, changing corporate structures, and evolving organizational forms in value chains and regional partnerships.
The focus is on new cross-company occupational fields, for which we outline concrete development paths – including Food Safety and Health Manager, Risk and Crisis Manager, Soil Health Manager, and Sustainability Manager. These roles are emerging in areas such as digital agri-technologies, sustainable production methods, and data-driven farm management. Modular learning formats like microcredentials allow employees to adapt flexibly and effectively to new demands – regardless of age, educational background, or location.
Future Skills – such as digital literacy, innovation competence, and interdisciplinary collaboration – are becoming increasingly vital across all professional domains. We connect these skills with practical qualification pathways and new learning environments.
EQA’s goal is to proactively address the skills shortage, rethink education, and help shape a sustainable, digital, and resilient future for the agriculture, forestry, and food sectors.
