The call for submissions to AGRICOM 2013 has been extended: participants now have until the 15th of July to submit scientific papers, presentations of research projects, or posters demonstrating fully‐developed results, on‐going work or innovative concepts on advancement in agriculture, irrigation, and hydroponics. Participants are thereby invited to visit the idyllic and historical city of Viterbo in Italy and present their work at the University of Tuscia. Suggested topics for submissions include:

• Social communities for the agricultural sector
• Learning outcomes and competences orientation
• Competence & skill development in agriculture
• The latest developments in hydroponics techniques
• The latest developments in irrigation techniques

All submissions will be reviewed by the international scientific AGRICOM Programme Committee through double‐blind peer review. Accepted submissions will be published in the official conference proceedings (with ISBN), to be distributed to all conference participants as well as internationally after the conference. Specific guidelines, requirements, and templates for submissions can be found online at the official AGRICOM 2013 website (agricomconference.pbworks.com).

The AGRICOM Project Presents the First Competence Model for the Agricultural Sector:

The European project AGRICOM (“Transfer of Water Competence Model to AGRIcultural COMpetences” – www.agriculture-competence.eu) will present its main results during AGRCIOM 2013 Conference in the form of the first competence model for the agricultural sector. The Agricultural Competence Model (ACM) has undergone extensive pilot-testing during the last year in the project partner countries. The ACM capitalises on and transfers the competence model developed for the water resources management in the WAter COmpetences Model Transfer Project (WACOM), while integrating EU policies like the European Credit System for VET (ECVET), the European Qualification Framework (EQF), and the German specification PAS 1093 on Competence Modelling. Through this transfer, the project aims to strengthen the transparency and comparability of VET opportunities in Europe and provide an international example of effective human resource management and vocational education and training in the sectors of agriculture and aquaculture.

The AGRICOM Conference and the Agricultural Competence Model (ACM) are of especial potential benefit for, but not limited to, the following professions:

• Agronomists, horticulturalists, greenhouse and nursery managers, extension specialists, and people involved in crop management
• International institutions harmonising competence descriptions in agriculture
• National & regional authorities describing competences in policies in agriculture
• HR Managers describing training needs for employees in agriculture
• Managers in irrigation or hydroponic describing working places (job descriptions) in agriculture
• HR Managers measuring their employees (competence gap analysis) in agriculture
• VET providers describing their training solutions in agriculture
• National institutions harmonising VET (professional framework) in agriculture
• Individuals planning and personal development in agriculture
• Organisations developing their own competence model profile (including the use cases in bullet point 3 to 8 above) in agriculture
• Investors in hydroponics assessing the employees of a plant
• Service plants for irrigation and hydroponic systems

Registration:

Attendance at the AGRICOM Conference is subject to a conference fee (early-bird rate: 50€) and requires registration through the AGRICOM website, as seats are limited. The conference fee includes all provisions including a warm 3‐course lunch, coffee breaks, the conference bag, and the official conference proceedings. At least one author or project representative has to register for the publication of an accepted paper or project in the conference proceedings.

Overview of Important Dates:
- Submission deadline: July 15, 2013
- Notification of acceptance: August 1, 2013
- Early-bird registration rate ends: August 1st, 2013
- Camera-ready copy due: August 23, 2013
- Conference date: September 19-20, 2013

To learn more about the AGRICOM Project, please visit the project website at www.agriculture-competence.eu. For the latest conference and project updates, please like the AGRICOM Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AGRICOMProject and follow the AGRICOM Twitter account at twitter.com/AGRICOM_Project. Direct enquiries and submissions can be sent to the AGRICOM Conference Team at the University of Duisburg‐Essen (UDE), Germany, via email to: agricom.conference (at) icb.uni-due.de. The AGRICOM Conference is sponsored by Italian Horticultural Society (SOI) (www.soihs.it).