Learning Academy

At Blue Delite Nursery we believe that strengthening the knowledge and skills of our staff is crucial to providing quality blueberry plants to the industry. That is why we had no hesitation to partner with the Swedish non-profit, Learning Academy Worldwide. Their aims not only congrue with ours, but also created a scalable public private model for the future of learning and earning in the agriculture space.

Since its commencement in February 2021 a total of nine (9) unemployed young people have been placed in fulltime employ at our nursery. Their payroll and educational needs are met through shared contributions from ourselves and Learning Academy Worldwide.

At the heart of this project lies the conviction that agri-business opportunities, whether within a given workplace or for entrepreneurial possibilities are powerful levers for change, social upliftment, social inclusion and eradication of poverty. Our own in-house Horticulturalist provide knowledge and skills to the young women as part of the work day. Recordings of those learning moments are edited, subtitled and integrated into the reflections and reviewing activities. These are guided and managed by Learning Academy Worldwide. These young people are therefore learning about the industry while working in the industry and learning from experts in the field. As such our young people are benefiting from learning from a teacher who knows the industry, lives the industry and is best suitable to align the training to what the industry needs. It is an exceptional concept and it is working right now at our company.

Furthermore, since our young people are part of a bigger cohort of young people in the Learning Academy Worldwide project, they extend their learning opportunity with other students in a more rural setting. This is intended to leverage peer learning for the benefit of strengthening knowledge acquisition and skills development. It also elevates personal confidence and human dignity. Together they also participate in a formal learning experience provided by an accredited training provider funded by Learning Academy Worldwide.