ULSTER University Business School has announced the setting up of an Agri-food Business Development Centre.
The aim of the centre is to provide sector specific support through the promotion of agri-food business education, research and innovation.
Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of Ulster University Business School said: “The agri-food industry is Northern Ireland’s key indigenous industry worth over £4bn per annum and employing over 21,000 people. In pursuing its aims of achieving sustained business growth, finding new markets and creating a meaningful research agenda the sector faces a number of strategic challenges such as Brexit, currency volatility, and a reliance on the UK and Republic of Ireland for export.”
Professor Durkin explained that to meet these challenges the sector must have access to an appropriately educated and trained workforce.
He continued: Evidence shows that agri-food businesses are facing skills shortages. Some 15% of the sector’s workforce are qualified to graduate level compared to 33% for the national average and 42% have no qualifications compared to 14% for all sectors. Given our role as a leading provider of entrepreneurial education and research it was an obvious move to fill this much-needed gap in a key sector.”