xORA: Joint web platform for educational programmes in the field of risk assessment of food and feed
What it's about:
Cross-border cooperation in food and feed safety risk assessment is becoming increasingly important in the face of new global challenges. But how can we ensure that future generations also have well-trained risk assessors? Training programmes are available throughout Europe and internationally, and demand is high. However, the wide range on offer can make it difficult to find high-quality training programmes. The xORA web platform aims to close this gap. xORA stands for eXcellent One Health Risk Assessment Education and is a project of risk assessment institutions from nine EU Member States funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority), in the planning and implementation of which the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is also involved.
xORA is an online marketplace for training and further education formats. Training providers, such as universities or risk assessment institutions, are networked with learners here. A peer review system guarantees that training formats linked to the platform fulfil the quality standards of the xORA seal. The now public web platform was officially launched at the end of January. In addition to EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority, over 70 participants from at least 15 EU countries took part in the online event.
From now on, course providers can register on the site and register their courses to receive the quality seal.
The web portal can be accessed at the following address: External Link:https://www.xoraeducation.eu/
The xORA initiative is part of the efforts of EU risk assessment authorities and EFSAshort forEuropean Food Safety Authority to create a long-term common framework for the education, training and further training of risk assessors - initially in the area of food and feed safety.
The following target groups are a particular focus: learners and employers of risk assessors, reviewers and providers of training formats.
Training providers can upload information in English about their courses on the website and apply for the xORA quality seal. These training programmes include online, hybrid and face-to-face courses of various formats and durations. There are no restrictions regarding the language of instruction.
Reviewers who evaluate the training programmes must themselves fulfil certain criteria. For example, they should come from state institutions, have several years of professional experience in a relevant field and hold a Master's degree or doctorate in the same subject. Each training programme is assessed by two reviewers independently of each other and according to publicly accessible criteria of the xORA quality seal. After a successful review, the quality seal is issued and the training programmes are linked to xORA.
In future, the xORA website will enable all interest groups to quickly find out about the range of high-quality training and further education programmes in the field of risk assessment. xORA contributes to the harmonisation of training standards, supports the promotion of young talent, improves international exchange between learners and teachers and gives training providers good international visibility for their courses.