Business & Transferable Skills
Skills in these areas are invaluable in developing and improving business, management, accounting, operations management, and strategy development. These are tailored to be useful to individual business owners, those working within large corporations, and specialist areas such as farm operation and management.
Crops & Fresh Produce
Across our partner institutions we have a particularly broad and deep specialisation in this theme. With specialist courses on individual species (such as potatoes and sugar beet), plant disease epidemiology, and the analysis of supply chains, this theme encompasses every area of growing, harvesting, processing and packaging of crops and fresh produce.
Environment & Sustainability
Environmental concerns and sustainability are now core features of every agrifood business, and are of significant importance to consumers as much as producers. Our courses in this theme include introductory modules on climate change and food security, advanced techniques in soil and water management, and the latest technologies for building sustainability into every stage of the food chain.
Food & Nutrition
This theme represents a particularly broad set of topics, which encompasses the chemical structure of food, its relationship to human health, and the social and legal contexts of the food industry. From analyses of texture and rheology to the dietary requirements of specific populations to the impact of UK, European and Worldwide laws, our courses provide participants with the capacity to understand every aspect of our individual and societal relationship with food.
Livestock & Forages
Several of our core partners have particular specialisation in this theme, and the AFTP as a whole offers training aimed at both ruminant and nonruminant species (including poultry, fish, and pigs) as well as courses that examine classes of animals and production systems. These courses not only offer technical skills relating to animal health and genetics, but also introductions to feeding systems, business management skills, and food security concerns relating to livestock.
Join one of our technical subject groups
We run four technical groups (Crops & Fresh Produce, Environment & Sustainability, Food & Nutrition and Livestock & Forages) that meet two-three times annually. All groups share the common theme and purpose of acting as a ‘critical friend’ to the university partners who are developing new courses and modules for the AFTP, as the groups comprise both university staff and industry representatives who are tasked with informing the AFTP of their training and development needs especially in relation to current and emerging scientific and technical topic areas.
Our 'Livestock and Forages' group includes personnel from AHDB Beef and Lamb, ForFarmers, Waitrose and Germinal GB. The 'Crops and Fresh Produce' group includes senior employees from AHDB, Greencell, Greenyard Fresh and Bakkavor. Our 'Food and Nutrition' group includes representation from Campden BRI, Tesco, 2 Sisters, IFST and Waitrose.
We are always keen to meet new industry representatives who can influence the direction and content of the courses we are developing. Please contact us for more details.
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