Training News May '03

EDUCATION

1. European Union Student Council - Press Release

2. Building the Education Database - Can you contribute?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. PROFET Workshop - Athens, 30-31st May 2003

2. Congress on ICT in agriculture, food and the environment, Turkey, 7-10th October 2003

3. Early Identification of Skill Needs in Europe, Thessaloniki, Greece, 22-23rd May 2003

4. Policy, Practice and Partnership: Getting to Work on Lifelong Learning, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2-3rd June 2003

5. Food: a new challenge after a century of progress, Paris, 17-18th June 2004

OTHER

1. AquaTT launches job website for employers and employees in the Aquaculture sector, WWW.PISCESTTJOBS.COM

2. New Website Launched: WWW.EUSEAFOOD.COM

3. New calendars for European Aquaculture

4. New Eurofish website launched

EDUCATION

1. European Union Student Council - Press Release
www.eusv.org / www.eusc.net

Start of the EUSC 2003 Student Barometer - 10th of April 2003

After the official launching of the EUSC 2003 Student Barometer that took place in the European Parliament, on 27 February 2003, the EUSC starts its first survey on the 10th of April. From that date on the partners of the EUSC will start spreading the survey, translated in 9 languages, in a large number of universities all over Europe.
The survey consists of 14 questions covering issues of student mobility, transfer of credits, recognition of diplomas as well as the use of information technology for student purposes. For the first time in history European students will be directly consulted on their views on the current and future state of European higher education.
An Internet-based version of the survey will also be started on the 10th of April in collaboration with Generation Europe.
The results will be analysed by the EUSC by the end of May 2003 and will be presented to the EU institutions together with appropriate recommendations. This quantitative survey will be followed in the second semester of 2003 by a series of conference in the universities.
Following the direct, open and democratic election of the first European Union Student Council (EUSC) in May 2002 and on the occasion of Erasmus reaching its 1 million student, the EUSC has decided to launch this major survey within the European Union in order to find out what the EU students think about and expect from EU student mobility programmes.
Currently there are more than 15 million students in Europe. These students are the leaders of tomorrow but unfortunately ground-breaking decisions in the area of European higher education are still taken without at least consulting them first. "Time has come for students to make their voice heard on those issues they care about. Let's listen to them!" declared Rafael Mondelaers, President of the EUSC.
The EUSC in a nutshell:
The first European Union Student Council (EUSC) was directly elected via the Internet by the students of the European Union on 24 May 2002. The EUSC is the first representative student trans-national body, which is voted into office on the basis of trans-national lists. Its goals are to represent the students of the European Union and to promote their interests in the area of higher education. By casting their vote for the trans-national list of their choice, nearly 100.000 European students expressed their belief in the need for a change within the EU - a change in the way in which decisions are being taken and a change in the way in which the future of the EU is being determined. The Council is independent in its decision-making from all EU institutions as well as from its sponsors and supporters. It consists of 30 members from both EU and non-EU countries.

2. BUILDING THE EDUCATION DATABASE - CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE?

The Education Database, supported by the PISCES project, has been developed as a forum on which to concentrate information and resources available in European Aquaculture Education.

If you or your colleague can contribute or are interested in developing your country 's section on the database, please email info@piscestt.com. Specifically, we are interested in contributions for the following countries : Poland, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovak Republic, Latvia, Luxembourg, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Austria, Bulgaria

Why contribute to an education database for Aquaculture?
Upon the creation of the European Education Area (EEA) , there will be many changes which will effect the structure and curriculum of Aquaculture courses.The way forward is by means of transparency and increased collaboration, and that is the intention of PISCESTT. The PISCES Education Database has a broad focus, covering Short Training, Vocational Training and Tertiary Education.

How to contribute?
Submitting information to the database is simple and straightforward, as follows :
- Register for free online at www.piscestt.com
- As you fill in the registration form, tick the box to "Submit/Edit Courses"
- You are issued with a username and password
- Webmaster sends you an email to confirm registration as an course details provider
- Access to upload information in the following languages (English, French, Spanish, Greek, Polish, Norwegian, Italian, Dutch, Czech, Danish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Danish, Finnish) through our online translation facility

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. PROFET Workshop - Athens, 30-31st May 2003

The second Workshop of the PROFET initiative is to be held at the Metropolitan Hotel (Athens - Greece) on the 30th and 31st May 2003 and is being coordinated by the Federation of Greek Maricultures and the FEAP . The theme of the Workshop is “RTD Needs in Mediterranean Fish Farming” where the opportunities provided by farming of seabass, seabream and alternative species will be covered in detail. Many distinguished and experienced players from the European aquaculture sector (producers, scientists and administrators) will be making short presentations and participating in the debates.

The Workshop is divided into separate sessions, covering the following issues:
- Opportunities for the development of European Aquaculture
- New Species in Mediterranean Aquaculture
- Environmental challenges for Fish Farming - Fish Health & Fish WelfareFood Safety & Quality
- Using the Market as a Driving Force for Development
- Threats and opportunities

The conclusions of the Workshop will be developed in the final round-table session and these will be used to formulate the recommendations by the Workshop for RTD policy in the future.Simultaneous translation in English, Greek, Italian and French will be provided.
For more information visit www.aquamedia.org/news/RTD/profet/profet-athens_en.asp

2. Congress on ICT in agriculture, food and the environment, Izmir, Turkey, 7-10th October 2003

ITAFE 2003, the international congress on information technology in agriculture, food and the environment, will take place from 7 to 10 October in Izmir, Turkey.
The event is designed as a meeting place for experts, professionals and users of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the agriculture, food and environmental sectors. Participants will have the opportunity to hear the latest developments in the field, and exchange ideas on the design and management of other aspects of ICT use.
The event is open to researchers, scientists, students and professionals interested in any aspect of the topic. Key issues to be covered at the congress include:
- biotechnology and bioinformatics;
- wireless communication;
- environmental control systems;
- the role of ICT in rural development;
- automation in process control.
The congress programme will consist of plenary lectures, paper presentations, invitation seminars, and software and hardware demonstrations.
For further information, please consult the following web address: http://itafe.ege.edu.tr

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3. Early Identification of Skill Needs in Europe, Thessaloniki, Greece, 22-23 May 2003

The conference, which takes place on the occasion of the Greek Presidency, aims to gather European experiences and 'best practices' in the identification, anticipation and monitoring of changing and new emerging skills at the national, sectoral and regional levels. Likewise, the conference seeks to explore the skill needs of different target groups. It brings together policy-makers, the social partners, practitioners and researchers from various European countries, including the future member states, and intends to establish a platform for regular cooperation and networking at the European level.
Conference venue
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) • Europe 123 • 57001 Thessaloniki (Pylaia) • Greece
Organisers
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) • German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) • Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (FhIAO) • Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) • The conference is supported by the Greek social partners
Target groups
Representatives of policy-makers, social partners, researchers and business with a particular interest in activities and results in the field of the 'early identification of skill needs'
Displays and posters
There will be a 'market place' where participants will have the opportunity to learn about various initiatives and activities (i.e. via poster sessions, flyers, stands, presentation of the Internet platforms www.frequenz.net and www.trainingvillage.gr)
Registration: www.cedefop.eu.int
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4. Policy, Practice and Partnership: Getting to Work on Lifelong Learning, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2-3rd June 2003
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)

There has been a lot of talk in a lot of places recently about the need to make lifelong learning a reality for everyone in Europe. Cedefop invites public opinion leaders, researchers and practitioners to answer provocative questions, report new findings and exchange good practice. This is a meeting for everyone concerned about getting to work on lifelong learning - this is a conference about how to make lifelong learning successful in practice. And that means looking closely at
-How to widen access and how to bring disadvantaged people into learning with positive outcomes
- New ways to learn, different places to learn, new tools for learning
- How to make learning attractive for everyone - including what Europe can offer to the world
- What citizens themselves think about lifelong learning - the results of the new European opinion poll (Eurobarometer) on this subject.
Organisers
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in association with the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Committee of the Regions, the European Training Foundation (ETF), the ASEM-Lifelong Learning Initiative, the International Labour Organisation, the World Bank and the Council of Europe.

Further Information & Registration: http://www.trainingvillage.gr

5. Food: a new challenge after a century of progress, Paris,17-18 June 2004

The main aim of the two day conference is to help decision makers get better insight into the ongoing debate on food safety. The
meeting will be structured around four workshops presenting the concerns of scientists, manufacturers and consumers. The subjects
for discussion will be:
- the food chain: true risks and control;
- food science: trust and mistrust of consumers;
- dissemination of alimentary knowledge;
- who influences the consumer selection?
The event is being organised by the scientific association for food safety (SSHA) , with the support of the European Commission and the organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD)For further information, please consult the following web address: http://www.ssha.asso.fr/site/index.php

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OTHER

1. AQUA TT LAUNCHES JOB WEBSITE FOR EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE AQUACULTURE SECTOR
PISCES TT Jobs, an exciting and valuable free online service provided by AquaTT UETP Ltd. to employers and potential employees in aquaculture and related science sectors, will be launched on 20th May, on the web at www.piscesttjobs.com. Using a secure and innovative site format, employers and employees can post job vacancies and CVs, respectively, thus facilitating human resource development in the industry. "AquaTT, given its extensive international network of aquaculture companies and training institutions, is inundated with both employers looking to fill vacancies and potential employees looking for aquaculture-specific work," said David Murphy, AquaTT Manager.

"PISCES TT Jobs is a resource to connect employers with qualified candidates specifically interested in pursuing work in aquaculture or related sciences," said David Murphy.

Upon registration, companies can post and instantaneously edit job vacancies, including permanent, temporary, MSc/PhD and student placement positions. Companies will only receive CVs of those applicants who are qualified for the position requirements. To ensure privacy and lessen the hassle of unsolicited calls and queries, company/organisation contact details will not be published online.

Prospective employees can use the online registration facility to obtain a username and password, post and edit their employee profile, upload a CV and apply online for positions.

AquaTT, the European Network for Education and Training, is providing the site as an additional service to compliment their flagship project, PISCES TT, found on the web at www.piscestt.com and host to a comprehensive education database, occupational profiles, virtual tours, a discussion forum, and marine sciences activities for children.
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2. New Website Launched: WWW.EUSEAFOOD.COM

The only online source of information covering EU Approved Fish Processing Premises in Ireland, Britain, Portugal and Greece. The site went live on the 1st of May 2003. The website will be of use if you are buying or selling fish within Europe, or if you are a consumer who wants to know who the processor is, from the approval number on the product packaging. Access to the information on the site is free, however you are required to register, so that they can evaluate the site and its users, in order to make improvements for the future. As this is a new website, there is an online evaluation facility available to allow users to provide feedback. The initiative is supported by the European Commission Directorate General of Fisheries. In the future it is hoped to expand the initiative to other European countries. If you would like more information on the project visit the website

3. New calendars for European Aquaculture
A new initiative by FEAP (Federation of European Aquaculture Producers) has been set up to inform interested parties about international aquaculture events and meetings. The facility provides a general calendar detailing "Aquaculture Events and Meetings concerning Aquaculture" but it is also possible to view individual calendars of individual organisations; AquaTT, CIHEAM, EAS, FEAP and NACA. To view the websites visit www.aquamedia.org/home/calendar_en.asp

4. New Eurofish website launched

International organization Eurofish has launched its website www.eurofish.dk featuring regular market reports and a new shop interface.

The site is based on a content management system tailored specifically to Eurofish requirements that gives it a smart new look and makes the site easier to navigate. New features include a more versatile shop function with all the latest Eurofish publications, Eurofish member country information, regularly updated commodity market reports with the option of signing up for a message whenever a new report is released. In the words of Eurofish Director John Ryder “As an organization in the information exchange business Eurofish wants to make use of the best available information-sharing technologies. The new website gives significant advantages in the reach achieved by material presented on the web, offers a richness of information that cannot be matched by more traditional methods and allows the possibility to create relationships with customers.”

The new website is designed to reflect the objectives and functions of the organisation and to act as a gateway to accurate and up-to-date information on member countries and their fisheries sectors, technical issues such as HACCP and traceability, news and market data. The website will be a key tool in the promotion and distribution of Eurofish publications as well as an e-learning initiative to be launched in the near future.

The new website will also emphasise the relationships and exchange of information between the FISH INFOnetwork, a globe-spanning network of six organisations backed by the Fisheries Department at FAO Headquarters in Rome.

Eurofish is the successor organization to FAO EASTFISH which was a service initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) concentrating on the post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture sectors to assist the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries after the political changes of the 1990’s. This programme, “Fish Marketing and Information Service for Eastern European Countries” started in June 1996 with funding from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (MFAF) of the Kingdom of Denmark. The project has been implemented in 2 phases – Phase 1 from June 1996 to November 1999, and Phase II from December 1999 to June 2003.

Behnan Thomas, Eurofish, Midtermolen 3
DK 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Tel. +45 35467184, Fax: +45 35467181
Website: www.eurofish.dk

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