– Our aim was to initiate the planning of the competency objectives for the master's programme in international food business and exports in the richest way possible. To this end, we invited representatives from stakeholder groups in addition to the academic preparation team to the breakfast. Collaborating often leads to better outcomes, explains University Lecturer Sari Ollila from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki.
Throughout the autumn, the team of the master's programme project has been visiting companies to discuss what future food export and gastronomy professionals should know. At the breakfast brainstorming session, external experts provided insights to the academic preparation group on the same topic.
Invited attendees included individuals from the steering group of the master's programme project, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the restaurant industry, Aktia, Knowit, Aalto University, Biosafe Oy, and Kesko.
Participants were pre-divided into five thematic groups: sustainable food systems, new technologies, gastronomy and food culture, management and communication, and marketing. According to Ollila, this division worked excellently.
– Those present seemed to have an intrinsic interest in the food business and in expanding exports. We received material from the brainstorming session that we can use to develop more precise competency packages for the master's programme.
One of the breakfast participants was Petteri Lillberg, Head of Sustainable Business at the IT company Knowit. He felt that the brainstorming session was a fantastic collision of food culture, commercial development, and academic research.
– I left with a sense of tremendous potential. The master's programme promises interdisciplinarity and breaking down silos. This should be reflected not only in the teaching itself but also in the backgrounds from which students are sought. Change and creativity arise from surprising combinations.
Lillberg was part of the group discussing management and communication, which concluded that university students must primarily learn to think critically. Therefore, it is essential to consider not just what is taught, but also how it is taught.
Laura Ihanainen, Senior Sustainability Manager at Kesko and an alumnus of the University of Helsinki, echoes Lillberg's sentiments and summarises the skill set needed to succeed in the food business:
– It requires courage, openness, networking, a keen curiosity, and the tools for continuous information-seeking. These will undoubtedly be key for graduates of the master's programme in food business and exports.
– At the same time as we consider the content of the teaching, we need to think about what foundational knowledge requirements we set for applicants – and how we market the new programme. One must be able to grasp the entire educational pathway of an individual, reflects Ollila, drawing on her over 30 years of university experience.
Ollila adds that attention must also be paid to students’ readiness for academic postgraduate studies. Graduates should be equipped to tackle challenging research topics, both in the corporate and university sectors.
Once the curriculum framework for the master's programme is more developed, it will be subjected to a comment round with various experts. This will further refine the curriculum.
– In order to produce skilled professionals for the international food markets, we also need attractive and inspiring top experts to teach these contents, concludes Ollila.