AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
A new academy in the UAE aims to groom a generation of Emirati professionals who can drive the country's growing food manufacturing industry.
Agthia Academy, launched in May as the first F&B capability-building platform of its kind in the country, trains Emirati students, entrepreneurs, and aspiring specialists for a food manufacturing sector that keeps growing.
Salmeen Alameri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Agthia Group, said the academy's programme was designed as a long-term talent development pathway, rather than a one-off training course.
"The academy focuses on applied expertise in milling, baking and production excellence, giving participants direct exposure to global standards and helping them translate those standards into practical, day-to-day performance," Alameri told Aletihad in a recent interview.
The first phase, held recently at Abu Dhabi Energy Centre, brought together food science students and Emirati entrepreneurs for a three-day technical workshop led by specialists from Bühler, a Swiss technology and plant-equipment manufacturer.
Over those three days, trainees got to grips with mill structure basics, why cleaning and conditioning matter, and how equipment and process flows shape the final product.
The second phase moves the classroom abroad. In September, participants will travel to Bühler's facilities in Uzwil, Switzerland, for hands-on sessions covering flour analysis, the expected quality of baked goods, the impact of mechanical starch damage, techniques for extending freshness and shelf life, and how non-bread grains and external factors affect the finished product.
"By combining local technical foundations with international exposure and applied learning, the academy creates a repeatable model that can be scaled with partners and future cohorts," Alameri said.
This approach, he added, builds a stronger pipeline of Emirati talent for the UAE's food and beverage sector. According to Alameri, the programme was built around one question: what does the F&B sector actually need from its people?
In this evolving industry, he said, "competitiveness increasingly depends on stronger operational discipline, improved efficiency, higher quality standards, waste reduction, food safety culture, and the ability to connect technical knowledge with commercial product performance".
Behind the academy is the bigger idea that stronger F&B capabilities feed directly into the UAE's food security agenda. "Food security depends on skilled people who understand quality, consistency, efficiency, safety and resilience across the food value chain," Alameri said.
"The academy directly contributes to this by developing Emirati talent in technical areas that are essential to advance food processing and manufacturing."
Graduates, he said, will leave with practical exposure to global food manufacturing standards and a deeper understanding of how technical decisions impact quality, productivity and commercial outcomes.
"For students, this creates a clearer bridge between academic learning and future careers in food science, advanced manufacturing, quality, R&D and production. For entrepreneurs, it provides knowledge they can apply."
Over time, Alameri said, the academy is intended to support career pathways across Agthia and the wider UAE food manufacturing sector, "building a stronger pool of Emirati talent with practical, industry-relevant capabilities and exposure to international standards".