Online course to enhance knowledge exchange with the Food Supply Chain
Waitrose has initiated a professional training programme to raise understanding of a broad range of food chain issues in partnership with Lancaster University. The Lancaster Environment Centre has a strong international reputation for work in sustainable agriculture and food security, and is committed to raising understanding of food system challenges, particularly with young people.
Our motivation for this course is the global challenge to make food available to a population which will probably rise beyond 9 billion within the next 30 to 40 years, and to support this number of people in active and healthy lives.
This extra food must be produced in the context of a changing climate and with reduced usage of a range of resources required for crop production. Nearly all are already in short supply, including land, water, fertilisers, energy and labour. As economies grow, people want to eat more and they want to eat differently, often aspiring to a more meat-rich and resource-demanding diet. In addition, more people now live in cities. These social changes constitute significant challenges for those committed to supply more good-quality food to more people. Responsible food suppliers and retailers in the UK and elsewhere realise the importance of these concerns.
"A ten-year association between Waitrose and Lancaster University which has involved the development of innovative training courses and support for targeted research"
Waitrose, and its Agronomy Group, are committed to the responsible sourcing and supply of food. They recognise that it is important to raise understanding of food security issues along the supply chain and more generally. It is also important to develop best practice in the supply chain.
Waitrose Postgraduate Professional Training Programme
The course is intended to address these and related challenges. It is built upon a ten-year association between Waitrose and Lancaster University which has involved the development of innovative training courses and support for targeted research
BBSRC has provided funding through its Modular Training Partnerships programme to enable us to build and deliver the first two modules in the course.
The programme will be open to all, but will be focussed upon staff from the John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose’s parent organisation, and suppliers who are involved in the production and supply of fresh produce for Waitrose.
Postgraduate Courses in ‘Food Challenges for the 21st Century’
This topical and unique new course provides flexible and accessible postgraduate training which is focused on food chain issues and on the challenges provided by the Perfect Storm of water, energy and food shortages envisaged by Sir John Beddington (Beddington, 2009).
The course modules reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the challenges faced by those working in the food chain. Students can choose to study a diverse range of topics identified by both academic and business providers as key to addressing food security challenges which exist now and which will develop in the future.
Delegates will benefit from the expertise of Lancaster’s world- leading environmental, bioscience and social science researchers and trainers, from industry-leading technical expertise drawn from within the Waitrose supply chain, and from additional contributions from leading practitioners, consultants and researchers from other key institutions.
Flexible delivery of the course, mostly on-line, enables students to continue working whilst studying. It leads to a Postgraduate Certificate with options to progress to a Postgraduate Diploma or an MSc.
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