Integrated & multi-purpose
The integrated and multi-purpose IFCIC will house a Chocolate Academy unique to the Caribbean region which will help to educate and train local people in the arts and skills of the diverse food and drinks industry based on cocoa derivatives.
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Short-course programmes
CRC short courses are usually intensive courses that are given over a period of one week or less. These courses offer the candidates a theoretical and practical understanding of the science behind the various best practices in cocoa production. These are suitable for technicians or beginners. Those who are interested in further developing their skill may can subscribe to the apprenticeship programmes, internship programmes or incubator programmes offered by the CRC. CRC also offers customized short course programmes to meet client needs.
Programmes
- Advanced Chocolate Making Course
- Advanced Sensory Analysis of Cocoa Liquor and Chocolates
- Climate Smart Cocoa Production Systems
- Designing, establishing and managing a Cocoa Orchard
- DNA fingerprinting of cocoa (Theory and practice)
- Introduction to Cocoa Postharvest Processing and Quality Management
- Introduction to Cocoa Sensory Analysis
- Introductory Chocolate Making Course
- Mitigation of cadmium contamination of cocoa
- Morpho-physiological characterisation of cocoa varieties
- Pest and disease management in Cocoa Farms
- Population genetic analysis and molecular marker analysis
- Rehabilitation of a cocoa estate
- Smallholder fermentation, drying to support niche marketing
Apprenticeship training
Apprenticeship training is typically carried out at the IFCIC facility, where the trainee works in the propagation facility, model farm, postharvest process innovation centre in the IFCIC factory or in the quality management laboratory for a period of four to six (4-6) weeks to get a more in depth working knowledge of the processes and necessary skills in the respective area to be able to function independently. Here are a list of apprenticeship programmes offered by CRC.
Internships
The Internship programmes are usually more science based than the apprenticeship programmes and are hence offered at least in part at the laboratories of the Cocoa Research Centre at the University of the West Indies. These programmes are open to undergraduate and graduate students from around the world as well as to advanced technicians. These programmes can vary from a few weeks (undergraduate) to 6 months (postgraduates, technicians). Persons from Germany, France, Belgium, Ghana, Colombia and Ecuador as well as students from UWI, Arthur Lok Jack or UTT have been part of these internships. We will develop internships in mitigation of cadmium and climate smart agriculture in the future as the technologies are finalised.
MSc Programme
The academy will offer an MSc Programme in Genetic Resources Management in Utilisation to share the experience of the cocoa sector and the innovation centre to the rest of the world.
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