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University dropout has become a worrying reality for the education system in general, but also for Romania in particular, which ranks first in Europe. Thus, the worrying phenomenon of early university leaving is a phenomenon that has complex causes and therefore requires a variety of ways to combat it. These include the development of a supportive extra-curricular environment and individualized teaching practices focused on student-centered learning to support their potential. The aim of the research undertaken in this paper is to demonstrate the contribution of learning support activities in a formal and non-formal environment to the progress of first year of "Iasi University of Life Sciences" (IULS) students in the Faculties of Agriculture and Horticulture in reducing dropout. The qualitative research methodology was carried out through a review of the literature on university dropout, predominantly early. The case study, as a quantitative research method, is composed of a questionnaire containing 13 questions applied to first year students at IULS Iasi. The resulting data were processed and analyzed by statistical methods, and after interpreting the results we formed an overview of the problem of the causes of early university dropout of first year students and thus could apply personalized support measures. As a result of the steps taken in this respect, adaptability to the university environment increased and early university leaving was reduced, which provided us with a working model. This work has an innovative character in terms of the educational support measures provided to first year students at IULS Iasi, which constitute a model of good practice for increasing the adaptability of first year students to the university environment and for reducing early dropout. These extracurricular activities, carried out in a formal and especially non-formal friendly environment in a modern way, must be continued and adapted to the students' needs, but taking into account the skills they need to acquire in order to finally integrate into the changing labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural development is the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union (EU), with the role of helping the rural areas of the EU and implicitly Romania to address the economic, environmental, and social challenges they face. The purpose of the research included in this paper is to demonstrate the contribution of the LEADER approach to rural development in Romania, with an emphasis on the North-East Development Region. At the same time, the aim was to highlight the innovative nature of this approach: what it means, how it can be applied, and how it was applied. The data studied through the analysis carried out show that the Romanian territory and, implicitly, the North-East Development Region is poor, fragmented, depopulated, or in the process of depopulating, with few opportunities for young people. The innovative character of the LEADER Programme in Romania and implicitly the North-East Development Region results from the degree of novelty that an investment financed through it brings to the targeted territory, without being limiting and without necessarily presupposing a technological innovation, because the innovation must be evaluated relative to the local situation. The main instrument through which the principles of the LEADER approach can be implemented is the Local Action Group. It is the main driving force behind the activities to be carried out in the territory and which will lead to their implementation. The Local Action Groups set up in the North-East Region provide a common communication framework for local communities to develop and implement Local Development Strategies by initiating, developing and financing projects at local level. They contribute to the unity of local communities and their participation in local development. LEADER approach has brought and how its innovative character is highlighted. The questions that informed its development were: Is this concept considered as a model for sustainable rural development in Romania and the N-E Region? Is LEADER a truly innovative approach. In order to achieve the proposed goal, a multi-step working procedure was developed to allow the collection of target data and additional data derived from the initial target data. Thus, the working procedure was structured in the following steps: problem identification and conceptualization, literature review, document structuring, strategy selection, operational planning, data calculation, and interpretation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this work. Thus, from a quantitative point of view, the following research methods were considered relevant for obtaining data: administrative data analysis. As a qualitative method, a bibliometric analysis was carried out, i.e., the literature on sustainable rural development through the use of support measures was analysed by means of the VOSviewer programme, using the Web of Science collections database. Without the implementation of the LEADER Programme in Romania and implicitly in the North-East Development Region, rural areas may be deprived of funding that determines the improvement of conditions in that area, but efforts in the field of implementing sustainable rural development measures must be continued so that the effect of this funding is really visible. Thus, the results of the research carried out in the North-East Development Region of Romania add additional value to the information published in previous studies through proposals for rural reform and concrete examples of innovative projects implemented there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of university education in providing access to the labour market (employment) is reflected in increased employment opportunities for the educated population. The relationship between the unemployment rate and educational attainment is evident: the unemployment rate decreases as one moves from lower to higher levels of education. It can be seen that the unemployment rate, in terms of its size and dynamics, is inversely proportional to the level of education: it falls as the level of education rises, and vice versa. The aim of the research in this paper is to respond to the need to teach students with practical solutions for getting the skills needed to be easily employable in the labour market after graduation. The paper used a quantitative (questionnaire) and a qualitative (bibliometric) analysis. The data studied through the research shows the need for final-year students to receive additional practical skills training for employability. Entrepreneurship education, in addition to the university curriculum, can provide them with a viable alternative to increase their chances of integrating into the 21st century labour market. The innovative character of the work derives from the concrete practical activities that supported the optional entrepreneurial training of IULS students from Iasi. We can affirm, following the study undertaken, that the development of such additional and adapted educational activities increases young graduates' practical skills needed on the labour market. The access to non-reimbursable European funds, which offer additional educational opportunities to students, must be continued in order to produce the major economic effects expected by the whole Romanian society, with the aim of reducing youth unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 impacted the way in which all the activities of our lives were developed, and the educational system was one of the most affected aspects. The report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2020) warns that the pandemic has caused the most serious disorder recorded in education systems in all history, and that higher education would be the sector that could experience the highest dropout rates, as well as a reduction in enrollment of the order of 3.5%, which means a global loss of 7.9 million students. To alleviate this crisis, it recommends formulating comprehensive plans for the reopening of schools, protecting education funding and collaborating to moderate negative impacts, increase the resilience of education systems with a view to fair and sustainable development, rethink education and energize positive change in teaching and learning (UNESCO, 2020). After the declaration of a health emergency, all education levels had to quickly reorganize itself, migrating teaching and learning processes to virtual environment. Although this is increasingly used, there are still a lot of elements that prevent it from working successfully in all contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper analyzes the importance of quality education and focuses on preparing teachers to delivery it. Today's society is characterized by its constant technological change. Today's students are increasingly aware of the world of technologies; That is why educators see the need to take advantage of this new source of intrinsic motivation using tools of this type and incorporate them in the development of activities that encourage students to take an active part in their learning processes. The use of these teaching mechanisms allows increasing the possibility of promoting new forms of learning oriented to the development of thinking strategies and interaction with other individuals while stimulating their level of personal activity. The use of technologies allows information to be acquired, processed, stored and disseminated, which contributes to the training of people so that they can adapt to new social challenges. In this sense, it is considered that educator training should be aimed at generating reflections on processes aimed at promoting the pedagogical use of tools, resources, programs, services and environments characterized by the use of technology. The 21st century teacher needs much more than a superficial or mechanical understanding of the fundamental ideas of a discipline. It must also penetrate the deep structures of knowledge and their relationships, as well as the methods of testing, evaluating and expanding them. They need pedagogical skills to make flexible use of knowledge, as this is how they can pay attention to the ideas that arise in the course of the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper analyzes the importance of quality education and focuses on preparing teachers to delivery it. Today's society is characterized by its constant technological change. Today's students are increasingly aware of the world of technologies; That is why educators see the need to take advantage of this new source of intrinsic motivation using tools of this type and incorporate them in the development of activities that encourage students to take an active part in their learning processes. The use of these teaching mechanisms allows increasing the possibility of promoting new forms of learning oriented to the development of thinking strategies and interaction with other individuals while stimulating their level of personal activity. The use of technologies allows information to be acquired, processed, stored and disseminated, which contributes to the training of people so that they can adapt to new social challenges. In this sense, it is considered that educator training should be aimed at generating reflections on processes aimed at promoting the pedagogical use of tools, resources, programs, services and environments characterized by the use of technology. The 21st century teacher needs much more than a superficial or mechanical understanding of the fundamental ideas of a discipline. It must also penetrate the deep structures of knowledge and their relationships, as well as the methods of testing, evaluating and expanding them. They need pedagogical skills to make flexible use of knowledge, as this is how they can pay attention to the ideas that arise in the course of the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rethinking the curriculum in general, especially the university one, is a major coordinate of educational reforms. The aim of these transformations is to adapt educational structures to the profound changes of the world where we live, emphasizing the proactive dimension of the educational effort. We proposed to analyze the evolution of the non-formal entrepreneurial university curriculum, highlighting university experiences in this regard. Entrepreneurial education (EE) is one of the fastest growing areas of education in the world. We integrate entrepreneurial education within "the new educations". Investing in entrepreneurial education is one of the most profitable investments Europe can make: research shows that participating pupils and students are 3 to 6 times more likely to open a business later, at some point in their lives, compared to the ones who do not benefit from entrepreneurial education. One of the eight key competences established at the EU level (2006) was entrepreneurial competence. Research has led to the creation of the entrepreneurial university, which was under the sign of a triple helix: university-industry-government. The key to a knowledge-based economy is research, education and innovation. The communication presents concrete action directions for the development of students' entrepreneurial skills through non-formal activities at USAMV Iași (Student Entrepreneurial Society, postgraduate entrepreneurship education courses, funding projects, trips and visits to agricultural companies and firms, internships). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The educational system must guarantee access for all young people to education and training, adapted to the economic realities. In this sense, transdisciplinary approach is centred on the realities of contemporary society, regarding the relevant issues of real life and how it is affected people's life. In particular, it tries to understand and to resolve the complex problems of the challenges. Educational project in the transdisciplinary approach it is a modern method of teaching-learning used in agronomic education. It stimulates creative students involved in the project through the development of critical thinking, helping them in: decision making, self organizing and self-assessment of individual resources, adopting positive attitudes in acquiring cognitive and trans-curricular skills. Educational project in transdisciplinary for agronomic education approach is focused on active learning, a method which creates observable behaviors such as: behaviors that indicate active participation, creative thinking, applied learning, involvement in building knovledge. Active learning became more interesting, stimulating, significant and students participate during whole activity, being stimulated cooperation and creativity. Aims of more disciplines agri- food, planned in the same week are reached during daily activities which includes fragments from those disciplines into a single generic and it is facilitate a good quality knowledge acquisition, which will be remembered for a long time. Real problems from daily life could be solved much easier by pupils and students, no matter the complexity degree, due to achievement of knowledge, abilities and competences which couldn't be separated by one or another discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper tackles the concept of local development and establishes methods of strategy development through the LEADER program as main instrument for the GAL Rediu Prăjeni zone in order to eliminate the social disequilibrium of this area in comparison to the urban areas. The paper brings to foreground the way in which it is implemented a local strategy within LEADER axis, which involves great importance and is also effective, because the local development is community-led, which allows to the local partners (public, private, civil society) to achieve realistic local development strategies, based on the requirements and priorities of rural territory taken into study. The Romanian rural area has numerous shortcomings, these representing also the reason of disparities between urban and rural areas with all their components: rural economy, demographic potential, health, school, culture, etc. To reduce these disparities, one solution is the development and implementation of integrated development strategies by local communities, taking as a starting point the identified needs and endogenous potential of rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]