How do we ensure a vital, thriving food industry for years to coming? By inspiring the future generations from a young age for this great industry!
As Food Tech Brainport, we realize that innovation, can’t take place without people, not just the current employees, but also those working in the industry in 10-20 years’ time. As such, we enjoy receiving and touring groups of students through our facilities, to actually enable them to see a real factory!
For many, food is mostly something that can be bought at a supermarket, and comes from a shelf. Not many kids and students actually know and get to see where that food comes from. So, how cool would it be to see where that food is produced safely and consistently? In a place where the technologies of the future, their future, is being developed?!
The food industry is a major employer in Helmond and its surroundings, but, many students haven’t considered it as an option for their career or future students. Food is fully of chemsitry, physics, biology, but also wouldn’t be able to be produced as efficiently as it is without technology. As such, food can be a great future career for those with an interest in those fields. It’s why every year we tour various high school classes from Helmond through our facilities.
High school students working on a food related project are welcome as well. In autumn of 2022 a group of high school students visited us who were taking the course ‘food’. Upon arrival they weren’t yet convinced the food industry could be a sector of interest. But, at the end of their visit many said it looked ‘pretty cool’ to work at these companies. Seeing people do their job in an actual production setting does way more than just talking about it.
But it’s not just high school students. We regularly receive students from higher education institutions from around the country. They’ve already chosen a field of study within the world of food. As such, these visits are geared more towards offering an extra level of in-depth discussion. We hope they leave inspired, with an even bigger passion for innovation and technology!
Of course, we can’t do all of this alone. We’re helped by our partners, but we also collaborate with other organizations. For instance, on June-11 2022 we joined the Dutch Technology Festival in Beek en Donk, organized by the Stichting High Tech Helmond-de Peel. A great event that inspires kids to work in technology! We also work closely with various educational institutions such as HAS Green Academy in Den Bosch (with whom we organize a yearly masterclass) and Yuverta MBO in Helmond and Den Bosch.
