A PROGRAMME to help small agri-food businesses in Northern Ireland improve their competitiveness is currently underway. The Owner Manager Development Programme was specially designed in response to a need identified by the Food Strategy Implementation Partnership in the Fit For Market Strategy.

The programme has been jointly developed and funded by DARD and Invest NI and managed by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and delivered by Matrix Consulting.

Eleven agri-food companies are leading the way on the first programme and have so far received best practice training in key areas such as leadership, management, marketing and innovation. Throughout the remainder of the programme they will consider strategies for growth and financial management.

Mervyn McCaughey, Fivemiletown Creamery,said "The food-based case studies and exercises helped make the programme more relevant and easier to apply to my company situation."

The programme also tailors the training directly to each participant's need through approximately 20 hours of individual mentoring. Each owner/ manager selects the area(s) of their business they would like to focus on during mentoring e.g. marketing or financial management.

The businesses then visit similar small businesses in Scotland as exemplars of how to meet the challenges of growing a food business in today's global marketplace.

The next programme begins in September and there are some spaces still available. For more information contact Teresa McCarney, CAFRE by telephone: 028 8676 8152 or email: teresa.mccarney@dardni.gov.uk