The ITS Tech&Food Academy Welcomes the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium as a New Founding Member
PARMA – The ITS Tech&Food Academy Foundation, a Higher Technical Institute that trains experts in the agri-food sector, is pleased to announce the entry of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium as a Founding Member. The Consortium has been a promoter of the Foundation’s courses for some time and this new partnership further solidifies their collaboration.
The Consortium’s entry into the Foundation represents the consolidation of an active partnership that has already included collaborative efforts in educational activities. This collaboration encompasses lectures on the production process, the enhancement and protection of Parmigiano Reggiano, and on-site visits to dairies in the designated area of origin, which includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantova (to the right of the river Po), and Bologna (to the left of the river Reno). These visits have given students the opportunity to witness firsthand a unique production process in the world and participate in guided tastings with an introduction to sensory analysis techniques, hosted at the main headquarters of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium in Reggio Emilia.
The aim of the ITS Tech&Food Academy Foundation is to develop skills in line with the needs of the productive fabric. Therefore, the study programs are constantly updated to ensure the training of highly skilled technicians capable of actively participating in the growth, innovation, internationalization, ecological transition, and digitalization processes of companies. The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium represents an excellent supply chain that is indissolubly linked to the territory of the Food Valley. Its mission is to preserve, enhance, and protect, in all its aspects, a unique product in the world. The Consortium achieves this through collaboration with educational programs that provide young people with opportunities for employment and meet the professional and competence needs of the dairy sector.
We are truly delighted to welcome the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium among our Founding Members, said Massimo Ambanelli, President of the ITS Tech&Food Academy Foundation. The connection with the Food Valley, the territory in which our foundation is firmly rooted, and its institutions for the protection and enhancement of unique and typical products are fundamental to us. It is essential that our students, future highly specialized technicians in the agri-food sector, have a deep understanding of the local businesses. Likewise, it is crucial that these businesses contribute to the students’ training to meet the professional needs of the future food industry and be prepared for the new challenges it will face.
On behalf of the entire supply chain represented by the Consortium, we are proud to enter the ITS Tech&Food Academy Foundation as a new founding member, said Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium. In addition, we are the first associates from the dairy industry. Therefore, we consider it both an honor and a responsibility to bring the voice of our world into the Foundation’s activities. These activities are crucial for reflecting on the evolution of our supply chain and for considering what can be done to make the cheese maker’s profession more attractive to new generations. We must not lose the millennia-old tradition of these Dop artisans, who need to be trained to combine ancient cheese-making art with the new skills demanded by the market. That is why we pay close attention to the professional training of the professionals in the industry. We estimate that over the next 5-7 years, we will need approximately 100 new cheese makers. Today, we are proud to contribute to the professional growth of our future ambassadors.
With the Consortium’s new role as a Founding Member, the ITS Tech&Food Academy Foundation looks forward to further strengthening the ties between education and the food industry. This collaboration will continue to pave the way for innovative and highly skilled professionals who are ready to contribute to the growth and success of the Parmigiano Reggiano supply chain and the agri-food sector as a whole.
