Curriculum development workshop in Tunisia - January 2024

After the workshops held in Egypt and Ethiopia at the end of 2023, it was time for the Tunisian team to get hands-on the development of the pre-departure training program, to be implemented locally before the mobility phase in which students will travel to The Netherlands. 

From the 29th of January to the 2nd of February, Daan Westrik, expert from the Aeres University of Applied Sciences, and Stefano Locatelli, project manager from Maastricht School of Management, travelled to Chott Meriem (Sousse) to meet and work with the colleagues from the Institut supèrieur agronomique de Chott Mariem (ISACM), the Centre Sectoriel de Formation Professionnelle Agricole en Cultures Maraîchères de Primeurs de Chott Mariem (CSFPA) and the Lycée Sectoriel de Formation Professionnelle Agricole en Agrumiculture et Viticulture de Bouchrik (LSFPAAV). 

The workshop was hosted on the campus of the ISACM. The local team included the institutes’ directors and some professors from the three schools from different departments, such as plant production, irrigation, rural economics and marketing.  

Building on the work already started in the other two countries, the multidisciplinary team continued in the development of the curriculum for the pre-departure training program, including theoretical concepts and practical assignments, and focused on the contextualization of the program to the needs and priorities of Tunisian students and labor market. 

The Tunisian group will be variegated, with participants currently enrolled in Master’s, Bachelor’s or Technical diploma (BTS). This different academic background could be challenging in defining a common training program, but will surely be enriching for the students and staff involved, giving them the chance to exchange knowledge and best practices between the different contexts. 

Educational staff from the Netherlands and from Tunisian counterparts will continue working together in February and March for the finalization of the course contents and assignments, and for the training of trainers engaged in the program delivery. 

Pre-departure training program is planned to start in Tunisia at the beginning of April 2024.