Industry training partnership ‘most exciting development in 30 years’
The Advanced Training Partnership (ATP) has been forged by four expert institutes: Leatherhead Food Research, Reading University, Birmingham University, and Rothamsted Institute. It has been awarded £3m by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) which, together with industry contributions, will pay for the programme of short courses for continuing professional development, MSCs, and a Professional Doctorate for five years.
The Professional Doctorate is intended to be taken by researchers currently working within food and agricultural industries.
“The qualification is intended for the most talented individuals who have the potential to be the leaders of tomorrow, and will help the industry respond to the increasingly complex context in which food is produced and consumed,” said Reading University in a statement.
Tony Hines, Leatherhead’s head of food security: “This is the most exciting and innovative development in Food Industry Training for the last 30 years. This is a totally new and unique initiative for the UK’s food industry to meet the technical, environmental and sustainability issues of population growth and climate change.”
Dr Richard Frazier, director of the food quality and health ATP at Reading, explained that the intention is a 'without boundaries' approach to training. “Our aim is to develop the advanced skills of the food industry leaders of tomorrow and improve their understanding of the complexities of broader issues outside their current specialisms.
“We want to enable them to work together in a more integrated way, so that they may drive forward innovation and strengthen the competitiveness of the UK food industry."
It is expected that the programme will develop a sustainable business model so it can continue beyond the initial five years.
Industry involvement
Leatherhead asked its 1500 member companies whether it would support the ATP approach and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive”, Leatherhead CEO Dr Paul Berryman said.
The ATP covers food quality and health, and move than 20 industry partners are on board, including Coca-Cola, Waitrose, Mars and Marks & Spencer.
The BBSRC has also funded three other agri-food training programmes to the tune of £3 each:
Aberystwyth University, with Bangor University, the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, and a number of industrial partners will be covering sustainable and efficient food production, focusing on increasing efficiency and reducing environmental impact of extensive beef, sheep and dairy farming.
The University of Nottingham with Harper Adams University College, Cranfield University, Rothamsted Research, and industrial partners is establishing a strategic training hub for issues affecting the entire agri-food chain, including soils, water, crops, animals, post-harvest, food and nutrition.
The Royal Veterinary College with University of Cambridge, University of Newcastle, University of Edinburgh and industrial partners will be providing advanced training in intensive livestock health and production, focusing on the pig and poultry industry.
