UHMC’s Office of Continuing Education will offer its Food Industry Fundamentals classes in an online series starting in July. The EdVenture food industry workforce development and training series classes–first offered this past Spring–were originally designed to help participants develop differentiated, value-added and safe specialty-food products.
The courses included Food Trends and Food Marketplace Overview; Food Technology and Product Development; Quality Assurance and Food Safety Principles; and Good Manufacturing Practices for Food Producers.
“It was exciting to connect with so many food enthusiasts with dreams of moving their career forward or launching their own food industry business last April,” said Lou Cooperhouse, a consultant to UHMC’s Maui Food Innovation Center, in a news release. “It just confirms the project’s core mission and the demand for food industry workforce development and training.”
The insights offered in the Fundamentals series were designed to empower participants to better understand the market and where they might find their niche in it, while providing a solid foundational understanding of food safety and regulation.
Course participant and prospective food innovator Mat Seavey (and former MauiTime food writer) said he was amazed at the amount of information he learned. In the news release, Seavey said the Fundamentals series was a “rich source of information… [that] answered all of my questions (including some I didn’t know I had) in a concise and entertaining fashion.”
Other participants of the spring session were also excited about the course. Tim Parsons, who owns Adoboloco, thought the courses offered a useful perspective for many in the food industry, saying, “the Food [Industry Fundamentals] series has a bunch of really good tips and reminders for anyone in or planning to be in the food service/manufacturing business. Owners, operators and every employee should attend to learn about best practices.”
The popularity of the series motivated UHMC to offer the classes online in hopes of accommodating more participants. The Food Industry Fundamentals series will be offered online and on-demand starting July 7. The first session is open until Jan. 31, 2015. Participants may register anytime and take the course at their leisure, online and on-demand. Certificates of Participation will be provided upon completion of each course. Online registration discounts are available. Visit edventuremaui.com/maui-food-innovation-center to register and for specific details on course offerings. You may also call EdVenture at 808-984-3231 to register. Each course is $39.
The series is part of the larger UHMC Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) which will discuss the link between Hawaii’s local farmers and food manufacturers. Recently, the Hawaii state legislature approved the appropriation of $2.7 million for the MFIC, funds that will be used to renovate the former cafeteria in the campus Paʻina building, and to purchase the necessary equipment for a value-added food production and business incubation facility.
The Maui Food Innovation Center is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor in the amount of $759,350. Funding does not pay for student costs to participate.
Photo courtesy UHMC
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