The educational forum “AGRO Unites” has been held in Uman where farmers, educators, and government officials discussed the future of agricultural education.

The event was attended by the UAC Chairman Andrii Dykun and Board Member Pavlo Marushchak.

They discussed modern agricultural education, new profiles in schools, and partnerships between education and business.

"Education is a paramount for the state. Countries that have invested in education are now the wealthiest. For us, the issue of education was pressing even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike its European counterpart, our agricultural sector is more modern and advanced. Without a strong education system, we will not be able to maintain this advantage. Nowadays, the agricultural sector is the basis of the Ukrainian economy, and the post-war future depends on young and educated specialists. Education must become one of the state's priorities, because without it there will be no future," Andrii Dykun emphasized.

During the forum, participants emphasized that the agricultural sector is increasingly experiencing a shortage of young personnel. To get schoolchildren interested and show them the prospects of working in modern agriculture, Pavlo Marushchak, a member of the UAC board, with the support of the SvitOsvit educational platform, introduced the Agrosphere training course in his community.

“The industry that feeds the world is experiencing a shortage of personnel. Nowadays, our company is in dire need of unmanned system operators. And these are not just tractor drivers, as many people think. Agriculture is completely different. That is why we have introduced the ”Agrosphere" course in schools. Children who previously had no idea what a modern combine harvester was now come to my company and see how it works: the combine operator controls the machine through a program, sitting in front of a large monitor — essentially like an operator. This is true synergy between education and business," said Pavlo Marushchak.

The “Agrosphere” course is already being taught in more than 150 educational institutions in Ukraine. Forum participants are convinced that investing in education is investing in Ukraine's future, its economic stability, and food security.