In today’s world, you can’t let your skills stand still. And for more than 20 years, the Food Industry Training Unit (FITU) at University College Cork has been helping people in the food sector hone their skills all along the food chain, from farm to fork.
With the expertise of food research and teaching at UCC, and the support of external agencies such as Teagasc, Enterprise Ireland, Skillsnet, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society and the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine, the unit’s continuing professional development (CPD) courses can respond to industry needs, according to FITU Training Manager Mary McCarthy-Buckley.
Upskilling for industry
“Ultimately we are educating people in practices that ensure foods are safe and traceable,” explains Mary. “And people can also build up their soft skills as well as technical skills, so they can learn about communication, finance and strategy development and marketing.”
FITU also offers a Diploma in Speciality Food Production, which is important to support the developing artisan food sector, Mary notes.
“This diploma is a mix of science and technology and business and management,” she says. “This is ideal for food entrepreneurs and farmers. Some of them come in with an idea or concept for a specialty food, while others are already up and running, but they want to get more skills in science. They want the theory as well as the practice.”
Short and bespoke courses
Not everyone needs to commit to a diploma though. FITU also offers short courses and workshops on a variety of themes such as molecular gastronomy, thermal processing, and the science and technology of ice-cream and cheese.
And with the milk quotas lifting, the demand for bespoke dairy-related training is surging. “We are seeing a large increase in demand, particularly among the major dairy processors for the courses in dairy science and technology,” says Mary. “It is definitely a reflection of the boom in the dairy industry.”
Across the board, taking part in a course and learning from trainers and peers brings with it the potential for long-term benefits, she adds.
“We find people feel empowered with education. Their confidence and motivation increases and their ability to deal with troubleshooting and problem-solving improves. We have people feeding back to us that they have been promoted in their roles, and they see the courses as playing an important part in that.”
It does take time and commitment though, and Mary likes to think of participants as embarking on a journey with FITU.
“We are working together and when they are adult learners, they can sacrifice a lot to attend courses,” she says. “There is such a great passion for food at UCC and it is such an exciting journey to make with people as they develop the skills they can bring back into industry.”
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