Dawn Meats has announced the return of its Management Development Programme run in association with University College Dublin (UCD).
The programme, which is open to employees of both Dawn Meats and Dunbia, a subsidiary of Dawn Meats, has been operating in partnership with UCD since 2015, but was paused for a three-year period from 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
So far, over 100 managers have completed the programme, with 32 now taking part in the latest eight-month course for 2023/2024, which was officially launched this week.
UCD programme
The programme is custom designed to help managers address the global challenges facing the agri-food industry such as economic and environmental sustainability, in addition to developing skills in leadership, communications and professional networking.
Modules include many topics from professional development planning and time management to maximising influence, while the course involves part-time study, project work, one-to-one coaching sessions, and teamwork.
Academic modules are taught by thought leaders in the field of management leadership and sustainability in the food industry as well as members of the Dawn Meats and Dunbia leadership team.
Niall Browne, chief executive of Dawn Meats, said: “The Dawn Meats, Dunbia and UCD Management Development Programme is a fantastic opportunity for those working in our business and we are delighted to announce its return.
“It is important for us to develop the leaders and managers of the future and help them learn the skills they will need to maximise their own potential and that of the group.
“There are many challenges in the agri-food industry, and we want to make sure we have the people with the ability and the know-how to rise to them.”
Prof. Fank Monahan, dean of agriculture at UCD and head of the School of Agriculture and Food Science at UCD, said: “The School of Agriculture and Food Science is delighted to partner with Dawn Meats in providing this valuable training and development initiative.
“On completion the participants will have best positioned themselves to take leadership roles in this dynamic sector.”
About Dawn Meats
Dawn Meats is the supplier to a range of leading supermarket, foodservice and manufacturing businesses, exporting to more than 50 countries.
As a family-owned business, Dawn Meats has forged relationships with over 32,000 family farms from which it directly sources grass-fed cattle and lamb for processing at its 10 Irish and 13 UK sites.
Dawn Meats was established in Co. Waterford, Ireland in 1980, and has grown to a business with over €2.5 billion in annual revenue, employing over 8,000 staff in 12 countries.
Dawn Meats took full control of Dunbia in July 2020, following the successful joint venture that had been established in May 2017. The combined businesses in the UK and Ireland process approximately one million cattle and 3.5 million sheep annually.
