The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Environment and Environmental Policy, Joaquín Antonio Pino, has defended the need to maintain stable and continuous contact with the colleges of agricultural technical engineers of Castilla y León to reinforce their role in sector policies.
According to the Ministry, this approach has been put on the table in the meeting held this Monday with representatives of the Colleges of Agricultural Technical Engineers of Castilla y León, Castilla Duero and Colegio ITAS Centro, a meeting aimed at establishing permanent dialogue and strengthening cooperation between the department and these professional groups.
Among the topics discussed, the importance of having specialized personnel to teach in the Agricultural Training Schools has been highlighted. The Junta starts from the idea that agricultural technical engineers from Castilla y León "can contribute with their experience and knowledge to reinforce the training received by future professionals in the sector".
Another of the blocks addressed has been the option of developing collaboration agreements between the Ministry and the professional colleges. Within this framework, different lines of action have been proposed, such as cooperation in training activities, the presentation of proposals to update and improve training programs, and intervention in technical matters specific to their professional field, including environmental assessments or the preparation of cost studies.
Likewise, the participation of these professionals in the improvement of the agricultural insurance system and expert assessments, as well as in the progress towards more efficient management of priority agricultural holdings in the Community, has been put on the table.
During the meeting, Joaquín Antonio Pino also insisted that administrative simplification is one of the central axes of the Ministry. In this line, he has committed to continue reducing bureaucratic burdens and accelerating administrative procedures that affect both professionals in the sector and farmers and ranchers.
The meeting has also allowed for the review of other issues of interest to the group, such as the need to specify and give greater visibility to the competencies and attributions of Agricultural Technical Engineers, with the aim of facilitating their insertion into the labor market and taking advantage of their high level of qualification in areas where demand is growing.
On the other hand, both parties have agreed on the importance of promoting measures that contribute to the stability of public employment in smaller municipalities, with the purpose of settling professionals in rural areas and ensuring quality public services for those who live in these areas.
Pino has reaffirmed his intention to maintain a close and constant relationship with all stakeholders linked to the agricultural sector and rural areas. He recalled that, since the beginning of the legislature, meetings have been held with agricultural professional organizations, livestock farmers, the agri-food industry, cooperatives, and professional associations, with the aim of listening to their proposals and integrating their suggestions into government action.
In this regard, he pointed out that this first meeting with the colleges of agricultural technical engineers aims to mark the start of a stable relationship, with periodic meetings to jointly address issues that concern the group and advance shared solutions.