ANALYSIS OF THE APPROACH TO COMPANIES OF STUDENTS OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY. FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

The objectives and competences of the Food Technology course are focused on the basics of food processing, as well as the different production systems of processed food and the basic processes in their preparation, transformation and conservation. In addition, students should receive skills to recognize the objectives and particularities of industrial production methods for the preparation of food after collection and during all their shelf-life.

With the development of the new teaching-learning processes by students who decide to carry out their specialization in the area of Food Sciences, there has been an important deficit in their practical training, especially in the field of reproducing situations that occur in the food industry. This competence, important in the comprehensive training of students as future professionals in the area of Food Sciences and Technology, is rarely addressed during the Degree, since they do not get to acquire the basic skills for a complete training in this aspect.

This study proposes the analysis of the current situation and development of new strategies for students in Food Sciences and Technology to acquire basic training on real situations that occur in the food industry and that can be simulated and resolved after completing their degree. First of all, an analysis of the situation among the students of Food Technology in the 2017/18 course was carried out by means of surveys on their interest in learning about business management systems and technologies currently used by food industry, as well as what will allow them to know the reality and the employability needs of this productive sector. Secondly, the coordination of meetings between small groups of students and collaborating companies is evaluated, assessing their impact on students through the preparation and conduct of face-to-face surveys immediately after these meetings. Based on the analysis of the results collected in both surveys, the strengths of these extra-curricular activities are consolidated while the detected weaknesses are corrected through the design and implementation of new systems to achieve an integral approach to the students to the business world in the food industry sector.

As a result of this project a series of new teaching tools will be available and they can be incorporated into the portfolio that will be offered to students in order to encourage their incorporation into the professional life, in those cases in which they decide that their future professional career will be focus towards the area of Food Sciences.

References:
[1] S. Ma, D. G. Steger, P. E. Doolittle, A.C. Stewart, Journal of Food Science Education, 17, 27-32