The Maltese French Chamber of Commerce, represented by Odette Vella, has signed a collaboration agreement with the Ondes Vocational High School in France.

Maïté Waroquier-Rouvignac, who is responsible for international cooperation at the school, recently visited Malta on a familiarisation trip. The visit was supported by the Leonardo programme through an Educational Grant for Curriculum Development and was planned with the help of Sophie Raynaud, the director of international relations of the ENFA (French National Agricultural School in Toulouse).

This vocational high school, whose headmaster is Gerard Parisot, specialises in agribusiness, more particularly in landscape design, gardening, mechanics and the science of living beings. They provide an increasingly technical education that will be required by tomorrow’s farmers and gardeners in France.

The collaboration agreement entails the Maltese French Chamber of Commerce to support the organisation of a week’s stay in Malta in November for a group of 25 students from this high school in order for them to learn more about local agriculture. Some of these students will also be encouraged to come to Malta to do a one month traineeship period in this sector in summer 2012.