1. Introduction to rural development –Rural development paradigm, rural development approach, term; objectives and priorities –Rural space of EU and specific country –RD policies, legal and strategic framework Policy, institutions and organizations of importance for socio-economic development Sectorial and umbrella strategies important for RD in concrete country; National strategic documents and legislation for RD, CAP and rural development, national RD measures and history of RD support EU RD legislation and institutions; EU and WTO Integration Policies, IPA/IPARD EU funds

2. –Institutional and development of RD support Development of national support structures Community development: Local PPP partnerships (LAGs, LEADER), forms of organizing rural population, organizing of farmers, NGO organization Development of decentralized system of support –RD activities in present and future Development projects in concrete countries and the region Regional RD initiatives (SWG and its activities)

3. Rural sociology –Demography, population structure, ethnic groups, social groups, habits, norms, regions, traditions –Social inclusion and gender issues in rural areas –Poverty and battle for eradication of poverty, MDG goals, national policies for rural areas –Administration and social services - health, education and social policies and services in rural areas –Strengthening of cooperative structures and PPP partnerships –Rural labor market –Rural psychology and ethno-psychology for rural development workers; Psychology of masses, –Rural cultural heritage and its role in rural development (including multi-cultural issues, rural architecture, music, customs, literature, religions, languages etc.) –Specifics of knowledge transfer in rural areas (formal, non-formal and informal education, methods for transferring knowledge, diverse types of assistance and tools, consultancy, agriculture advisory services, extension etc.) Skills –Socio-economic research including participatory methodologies –Communication; Modern information technologies and media in service of rural development, promotion of rural areas and products, public appearance and presentation (PR etc.) –Facilitation and moderation, negotiation, leadership, lobbing, motivation techniques and negotiation –ToT

4. Rural ecology –Rural natural heritage and its role in rural development –Sustainable management of natural resources –Rebewable energy –Nature and environmental protection and its role in rural development; including LFA, Nature 2000 areas, EIA –HNVNF etc.

5. Rural economy –Principles of rural and regional development, –Value of natural capital –Agriculture, forestry, collecting practices and para-agriculture their importance in rural economy (including conversion from subsidence traditional farms to modern farms - farm based development planning, marketing of products, introduction of new technologies, farm business management, FADN –Multi-functionality of agriculture and environmentally friendly agriculture productions and their role in rural areas –Food processing and other industries and their importance for rural development (with emphasize on SMEs and traditional handcrafts, standards and branding of products and regions, adding value) –Tourism and services in rural development –Sustainable diversification of rural economy –Social employment and entrepreneurship, –Good practices in rural development –Banking and insurance, taxation, laws

6. Rural development management –Strategic and action planning on the national and local levels - Data collection and analytics, mapping of resources and needs/situation analysis of rural areas, participative work (SEAGA, PLA/PRA), GIS and data management, documenting, reporting Territorially specific programming; Strategic and action planning; –RD organizations management: Organizational skills, team work, team building, staff, conflicts,), managerial skills, leadership, human resource management, multitasking thinking; change management; –Support to PPP: Models of making local public-private partnerships (LAGs. And LEADER approach), civil society development, NGOs (nonpartisan, non-profit organizations), cooperatives (profit organization) and their role in RD; Networking for rural development support, good practices –Institutional building: Local governance and role of local self- governments in rural development, National level structures for rural development support –PCM (with examples of the logic needed to be followed for writing projects for IPARDP and other calls; use of for instance PRINCE methods, M&E, Pilot projecting and implementation; Operating of strategic plan/implementation of strategies –Fund rising in RD, IPA/IPARD EU funds, national funds