NITTTR unveils capacity development programme in bio-technology in agriculture

The National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research (NITTTR) in Kolkata, India, in collaboration with the Vivekananda Institute of Bio-technology (VIB), Nimpith, have unveiled a capacity development programme for trainers in utilising bio-technology in agriculture for the rural youth.

The two-week training programme is being held in Kolkata for trainers and teachers in the field of bio-technology and agriculture for the rural youth. The implementation of the programme will produce qualified trainers with increased capacities to design and deliver competency-based training on the use of bio-technology in TVET. The programme will also serve as basis for developing a Training of Trainers (ToT) module that can be used by trainers in this field.

Fourteen delegates from UNEVOC Centres and their associate institutions from Botswana, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, India, Thailand, Philippines and Sri Lanka are attending the programme aimed to improve their practice and multiply the learning in their respective institutions. It is supported by UNESCO-UNEVOC in implementation of the capacity building programme for the UNEVOC Network.

The capacity development programme is one of the projects proposed and selected by UNESCO-UNEVOC and aims to bridge global frameworks and action programmes to doable and implementable actions at the sectorial and institutional level. In the long term it is hoped that this will enable technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to contribute and scale up its engagement in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global sustainable development agenda. Specifically, the NITTTR-VIB joint ToT programme aims to:

• Increase the number of qualified trainers on bio-technology use in rural-based agriculture in the South Asian and South-East Asian regions;
• Collect and showcase evidence based practices in the region;
• Apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in TVET in rural-based agriculture;
• Improve the quality of TVET programmes in addressing youth unemployment in the rural sector;
• Support UNESCO’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) by accelerating sustainable agriculture through empowering the rural youth.

UNESCO-UNEVOC, represented by Jens Liebe (Network Consultant) and Kenneth Barrientos (Programme Officer), facilitated sessions to explain the links between the SDGs and TVET, orient participants to the new roadmap for implementing the Global Action Programme on ESD and Greening TVET, and explain the water resources management and policy and skills challenges relevant to the agriculture sector. Group discussions and project works also engaged facilitators and participants.