The Heraklion Chamber of Commerce announces the completion of the first year of the European project Go2Grove (Erasmus+ KA220-VET), which aims to provide vocational training to Ukrainian refugees in the field of olive cultivation and olive oil production, enhancing their employability and social inclusion. The project is implemented by six organizations from Greece, Italy, and Spain, with the active participation of the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce.
Focus Groups to Identify Training Needs
At the initial stages of the project, focus groups were conducted with representatives of refugee organizations, agricultural bodies, olive mills, and educational institutions. The aim was to record the real training needs of both refugees and sector professionals, ensuring that the project fully responds to industry requirements.
Completion and Evaluation of Training Material
The development of the digital training material has been completed in all the languages of the consortium (Greek, English, Spanish, Italian, and Ukrainian). The material covers all stages of olive cultivation and olive oil production and has been evaluated by olive growers, adult educators, representatives of olive mills, and refugee organizations, who confirmed its usefulness and comprehensiveness.
The creation of the educational videos is currently in progress.
Development of Educational Videos
Alongside the completion of the training material, the production of video series is underway, presenting step-by-step the cultivation of olives and the production of olive oil. These videos are a key deliverable of the project and will be integrated into the digital platform during the second year of implementation.
Website and Social Media
The official project website (currently available in English) has been launched, along with social media accounts through which the progress and results of the project activities are shared, in line with the dissemination plan.
Next Steps
In the upcoming period, the consortium is preparing:
- The LTTA in Larissa, Greece (training activity), where partners will be trained in the use of the educational material and will pilot project modules
- The Transnational Project Meeting (TPM), which will take place in Heraklion, Crete, aiming to plan the activities of the second year and finalize the digital platform
Moving Forward
The progress of the first year demonstrates that Go2Grove is laying the foundations for the development of a modern and practical training tool, contributing to the social inclusion of Ukrainian refugees while supporting the agri-food sector. The Heraklion Chamber of Commerce continues to actively work towards the successful implementation of the next phases of the project.
Visit the project website and learn more:
