Par­tial Qual­i­fi­ca­tion in Food Production

Com­pe­tence in Food Technology

Apprenticeship training for people working in the food industry who want to broaden and deepen their knowledge of the food chain, hygiene requirements, and food culture within the Finnish food industry.
The training is designed for anyone working with the manufacturing, packaging, or storage of food, in the food industry. This is an opportunity to deepen your expertise and receive a partial degree certificate for your vocational skills.

The training focuses on

• food indus­try leg­is­la­tion, branch qual­i­ty and hygiene requirements
• con­trol and oper­a­tion of food man­u­fac­tur­ing processes
• safe use of raw materials
• oper­a­tion of relat­ed machin­ery and equipment
• pack­ag­ing and stor­age of food
• main­te­nance of wash­ing and clean­ing functions
• first-aid knowl­edge
• envi­ron­ment aware­ness and sustainability
• prepar­ing for diverse and new work tasks
• inter­pret­ing instructions

The education also emphasizes the importance of working independently as well as part of a team. You will be required to self-evaluate your work performance and its effects on the company’s overall operations.

The curriculum consists of the following units from the Vocational qualification in Food Production:

Compulsory units:

Working in food production, 35 credit points
Control and operation of food processes, 20 credit points

Optional units:
Food packaging operations, 15 credit points

or

Storage and dispatch operations, 15 credit points

The training is completed through apprenticeship. Most of the learning happens at your place of work and you will be expected to demonstrate your proficiency through various practical assessments.

You will attend classes about one day a month at Optima in Jakobstad.

Duration: October 2026 – December 2027
Educator: Optima in cooperation with local food industry
Classes: 1 day/month at Optima
Price: 45 euro
Available places: 20 students
Language: English (level A2.2)
Contact: Kerstin Ström, kerstin.strom@optimaedu.fi tel. 044-7215307
Application: open June – September 2026