Training: growth axis agri-food sector
By Jorge Jordana, director of the Master in Business Management Agrifood
The food industry has become its own merits, in one of the engines of the Spanish economy, only surpassed by the tourism sector. The entire food industry, from production, processing to distribution, contributes 8.2% of our GDP. The reasons for this strength are several, but would emphasize that this sector is characterized by its dynamism to adapt to the continuous changes, its export capacity and its growing efforts in innovation. The need to operate in a truly open market (25% of our food is imported) and serve an increasingly modern distribution concentrated, have driven the sector to be very competitive. Proof of this is that the processed foods now account for 20.5% of net sales of total industry in Spain, placing ourselves as a sector, the EU 4th and 8th worldwide.
Despite this positive outlook, if the food industry wants to remain a benchmark for our economy should continue to increase its international presence, gain in size, compared to the current fragmentation, increase the intensity in innovation and strengthen more rational business finance. All this is only possible if we incorporate the sector and develop the best talent and we take this training, to help us change our mentality and orientation of the activity.
Precisely with this objective, to train people who are called to direct the companies, came the Master in Business Management Agrifood -MBMA- leading the LAFER Foundation together with the University of Nebrija (Nebrija Business School). The six editions developed to date MBMA, confirm the correctness of its creation, based on providing specific training for human capital in the sector, those matters or are not offered or is not done properly in university courses. Especially emphasizes the complexity of the policy framework of the sector and the development of managerial skills and management, orientation towards internationalization or stressing the importance of innovation. To all we answer from MBMA, thanks to the excellent faculty, composed of executives and industry experts from the various links in the food chain. These are professionals who give us their vision and the key to successfully face the constant changes and opportunities in the current global environment.
The orientation of the curriculum, excellent faculty and permanent attention to students, considered as our customers, are the differential signs of MBMA. All this invites us to think that the sector is receptive to quality training, dynamic, practical and oriented to respond to the growing need for managers able to cope successfully in the future, the business activity in this exciting and pointer sector.
