AGRITECHNOLOGY COMPETENCE IN AGRO-PROCESSING AND ITS CONTRIBUTION IN IMPROVING AGRIPRENEUR SKILLS TO REALIZE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

This study examines the role of agritechnology skills towards agro-processing and their influence on the development of agripreneur skills towards the advancement of sustainable agriculture. Agritechnology skills include environmentally friendly practices, product innovation, and resource management, which are believed to have an impact on entrepreneurial skills such as market study, adaptability, and sustainable business management. Using quantitative correlational study method, for this research participated 275 vocational students of XI grade of Agribusiness of Agricultural Product Processing expertise program at four vocational schools in East Java Province. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach with Partial Least Squares (PLS) was employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that there was a high positive correlation between agritechnology competencies and agripreneur skills. This finding confirms the importance of incorporating green skills in vocational education curriculum as a strategic initiative for fostering sustainable agribusiness practice. This study also provides workable recommendations for curriculum development incorporating technical and entrepreneurial skills, in an attempt to prepare vocational graduates to meet market demands and environmental challenges.