The University of Ulster has begun its own Agri-business masters programme in January, to meet clamour from growers looking to hone their ability to tap into consumer demand. “We noticed there were a lot of growers who lacked real business skills,” notes course convenor Gillian Armstrong, “We’re trying to bridge that gap. What with agri-food being such an important part of the region’s economy, it seemed like a logical step.”

The primary aim of the course is to add significant value to participants from the agri-food industry, in domestic and international markets, through the development of strategic marketing and innovation thinking in an agri-food context.

The programme has been developed in conjunction with senior managers and key policy decision-makers from Northern Ireland and the US agri-food business sectors, as well as leading marketing and entrepreneurship academics from around the world.

Core modules include: Principles of Food Marketing, Consumer Behaviour and Market Penetration, Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leadership, International Agri-food Business Strategy, Food Supply Chain Management, Contemporary Issues in Food Marketing and Agri-business and Entrepreneurship in Agri-Food Markets.

Through an innovative teaching and learning strategy, consisting of three day teaching blocks with follow-up mentoring, the programme seeks to meet the needs of the agri-food industry in a practical and customer-centric manner.

The programme comes with financial support from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) through the Northern Ireland's Food Strategy Implementation Partnership (FSIP), and is endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA).

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