Agricultural machinery chair: design an innovative teaching solution to answer to new industrial challenges.

Prod 2019-4b Pole EA SPE GESTAD AGROSUP

National audience

English. AgroSup Dijon is a French public Institution of Higher Education for agronomic sciences, food and the environment. It is the only French public institution accredited to issue graduate level (Master and Doctoral degrees) in Agricultural Machinery and Precision Farming with a team of academics specialised in agricultural equipment and innovative technologies dedicated to Precision Agriculture. Close ties to industry offer our graduates the opportunity to develop their professional skills. Our programs combine hands-on learning with relevant classroom work. However, times are changing for the agricultural machinery branch. International trade is an everyday fact, for most companies. Companies need to upgrade new skills on digital farming, AgTech and agroecology. A double revolution, digital and agroecology, is underway and so, a broad cross-section of new skills is required to train future leaders, managers, teachers, doctors and other professionals. OBJECTIVES. AN INDUSTRIAL CHAIR DEDICATED TO TRAINING To meet this new challenge and consolidate its leadership position, AgroSup Dijon must constantly renew its educational strategy by exploring innovative pedagogical practices while remaining close to industrial companies including recruitment and training. Thus, we have started to develop a new educational tool; an industrial chair called ‘Tech Agro Sup’ and dedicated to training; that is the aim of this presentation. Nevertheless, the success of AgroSup Dijon depends on the availability of private funds through the support of industrial partners. Action plan: let us work together to promote the most up-to-date training requirements. The 3 topics addressed by the chair are: 1. A showcase to highlight our higher educational map based on the development of precision agriculture combining agro-ecological transition with digital revolution. This allows companies to work with us to attract new graduates and researchers in agricultural engineering and related sectors, as well as to improve the skills of those working in the industry through ongoing professional development and the most upto- date technical training. 2. A partnership with agricultural equipment firms. These firms decide to support the project via a sponsorship. These firms have a key role to play in the success of this ambitious project to attract and train young people in emerging technology by knowledge sharing. 3. A sharing of our International networks. Our relationship with universities in Italy, Ireland and more recently Germany (Rhineland-Palatinate Land) means the corporate contributors (Fig. 1) can recruit young talent from other countries that they may export their product to. Working with industrial companies and foreign universities, the ambition is to become a European leader of training, exchanges and expertise in agricultural equipment and precision agriculture in 5 years. Various proposals have been explored and the most relevant is presented below (Fig. 1). 73 Figure 1: Launched in 2018, the Tech Agro Sup Chair encourages industrial partnership in the agricultural machinery branch and sharing knowledge between corporate contributors and international academic partners to train and recruit young talents Ongoing action: Postgraduate programme in international agricultural engineering. The Institute of Technology of Chalon-sur-Saône, Vesoul Agrocampus and Agrosup Dijon in France, the Institute of Technology of Tralee in Ireland as well as the University of Bologna in Italy will offer as an add-on to the current level 7 degree in international agricultural engineering. It will begin in September 2019 and the course is 1 year in total, with an initial intake of 15 students. The main objective is to equip students with highly specialized competences and solid transversal skills all embedded in an international dimension. The classes will be in English. Students will originate from a bachelor degree in Agriculture Equipment or a BSc in Agricultural Mechanization. They will have skills in agriculture, mechanical engineering, agriculture equipment science and techniques. Students will move across the three countries rotating each quarter in one of the Partner Institutions, including a 3 months internship experience. The 1st quarter will take place in Ireland (Module 1: design & Control), followed by Italy (Module 2: Performances & testing) and France (Precision farming &Agribotics). The final quarter will be work placement. At the end of the programme, students will get the necessary professional qualifications for playing important roles in the main industries operating in the sector. CONCLUSION To promote the agricultural machinery branch, its activities and its occupations, it is necessary to attract more young people in our higher education and to work in close collaboration with industrialists who require continually updating their skills and competencies. Thus, AgroSup Dijon developed the Tech Agro Sup Chair, based on sponsorship. Whether you are a manufacturer, a research institute or a university and if you are interesting to contribute to train future international leaders in innovative technologies for agricultural equipment, do not hesitate: JOIN US!