• The objective is to promote training as a tool for modernization and change in rural areas.
• The courses include specific training for young people and focus on innovation and digitalization, while also highlighting the role of rural women in the workforce.
• The Continuing Education Plan is primarily aimed at technicians who work in rural areas.

The program , developed by various units of the General Secretariat of Agriculture and Food, includes 39 training activities aimed at the groups with the greatest impact in rural areas and who are involved in the processes of change that promote rural development, the generational renewal of young people, the visibility of the role of women, new technologies and innovation, advice, sustainability, and resource conservation.

Mixed modality

The 2021 Plan courses and workshops delivered online will have a dedicated web-based training platform, while in-person courses will be held at MAPA facilities. Depending on the health situation, some in-person courses may be moved online or rescheduled. The "2021 Training Plan Calendar and Applications" will be updated monthly on the MAPA website.

Information and documentation for all courses in the “2021 Training Plan for Rural Technicians” can be found in the following document .

Goals

The courses aim to primarily train technicians working in various rural areas, including technicians from various public administrations, Local Action Networks and Groups, Professional Agricultural Organizations, Rural Cooperatives and Associations, Employment and Local Development Agents, and university graduates working in the advisory system for potential beneficiaries of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies on land and farm management.

Technicians wishing to participate in this year's Training Program should keep in mind that the courses' core priorities are knowledge generation and transfer , innovation in agriculture, farm viability , specialization in irrigation design and management, support for young farmers and new entrepreneurs, competitiveness of agriculture with other sectors, animal health and welfare, and the implementation of new technologies, among others.

Rural areas in Spain, which represent approximately 84% of the national territory and more than 16% of the population, nevertheless experience a significant economic and social imbalance compared to urban areas.

Therefore, MAPA contributes with this training to reversing the marked process of masculinization and aging of the rural population, bringing education closer to the territory and training its population to achieve the desired objectives.