RURALpro – European Training course for future Pro..
RURALpro – European Training course for future Professionals of Regional and Rural development
Between 2004 and 2006 the RURALpro project
developed a “European Training Course for Future
Professional Trainers of Regional and Rural De -
velopment,” which used a holistic approach toward
rural development to address the dramatic and
complex economic and social changes aff ecting
rural areas across Europe.
The project was based on the assumption that the importance
of agriculture is declining and its role is changing
in today’s Europe. New rural industries and new kinds of
entrepreneurship are emerging, and residential patterns
are changing because of outgoing, and possibly incoming,
migration. As a result, new target groups for adult education
are appearing, such as rural entrepreneurs, business
networks, and communities in the voluntary sector.
Partners set out to answer the question of how teachers
informal and non-formal education should approach and
address these target groups.
The partnership, consisting of six higher- and secondarylevel
educational institutions representing fi ve countries,
drew from the results of a previous Grundtvig project
entitled ADORE – Adult Education as a Tool for Rural
Development.
The RURALpro training course, which was equivalent to
three European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits, was
tested and extensively evaluated. Much attention was
placed on fi nding the right balance between interactivity
and theory. Themes addressed in the course included
concepts of sustainable rural development, community
and network development, partnership and participation,
and adult education as a tool for rural development.
A variety of teaching methods were used to ensure the
understanding of materials and to enhance the content’s
relevance. The course acknowledged the importance of
intercultural learning, and supported networking among
its participants. This process did not end, however, with
the training course. A memory box, follow-up questionnaires,
and a book of inspiration were used to keep the
networking process going.
The curriculum and further information about the project
and the training courses are available on the project’s
web site.
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