Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5214 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM t a time when fewer and fewer young people are interested in studying plant breeding and other related studies, it is important, more than ever before, that we maintain and even stimulate possibilities for young people to study these topics. Three years ago, a lectorate for green biotechnology was founded at the University Inholland (a University of Applied Sciences), supported by plant breeding companies from Seedvalley, the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Economic Board. The goal was to update our educational programme, to start up research projects and to integrate research in the curriculum. Our program educates and trains stu- dents for their future career as a technician in plant breeding companies or as a research assistant at universities working in plant science, plant biotechnology or green life sciences In our new program, we train our stu- dents to become familiar with molecular biology, microbiology, chemistry and genetics already in the first year. They follow lectures on DNA, cloning and PCR and they work in the laboratory to get familiar with these essential techniques. In their second year the students take classes in plant biology, like ‘form and function’ and ‘growth and development’ and in the third year about molecular plant breed- ing and green biotechnology. The theoretical classes are supported by practical lessons and experiments to make sure the students are trained in a variety of laboratory techniques. The students also go on excursions to different companies to learn about their business and see their career opportunities. Training Plant Breeders for the Future The Green Biotechnology program at the University Inholland is ensuring talented people have the skills they need to enter the seed industry. By: Dr. Nelleke Kreike, Lector, Green Biotechnology program at University of Professional Education, Inholland