From 8 October to 3 November 2024, students in ERAIFT's Forest Management Techniques program were immersed in a professional experience at the CIB Olam forestry company in Pokola, Republic of Congo. During this experience, they benefited from the skills transferred by experienced professionals in several domains, such as the monitoring of forest dynamics, the identification of tree species, low-impact logging, forest management, forest site management, the organization of teams in the forest and professional behaviors in the forestry company. This internship brought together students from ERAIFT and Gembloux Agro Bio Tech from the University of Liège, as part of the North-South mobility program.

Photo: Skills transfer to ERAIFT learners by CIB Olam staff

This field experience forms part of the tropical forestry courses taught by Professor Jean-Louis Doucet of the University of Liège/Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, who also holds the chair at ERAIFT. This has been a key stage in the students' professional success in the future, enhancing their professionalization and employability.

ERAIFT sincerely thanks CIB Olam for the warm welcome, practical training and logistical support provided to its trainees. ERAIFT would also like to express its gratitude to Professor Jean-Louis Doucet for his support for the training course and for his efforts to ensure its success in the field. ERAIFT would also like to thank the European Union, AGRINATURA and Nature + for their support.