Millikin University and Richland Community College have partnered to create a Food Innovation course that will be offered for the spring 2017 semester. The course was made possible through a grant from the Lumpkin Family Foundation; the course will be held at National Foodworks Services in Decatur, Ill., starting Jan. 26.
Julie Shields, director of Millikin's Center for Entrepreneurship, developed the course with a colleague.
"This will teach students a lot about the food industry, but they can also walk away with the know-how to develop their own business," Shields said. "Anybody will be able to join."
Throughout the course, students will learn the history of the food industry, current industry trends and opportunities, how to identify markets, creating new products and processes, and the tools and skills needed to take a food idea from "concept to cart."
The course will be taught by Dr. Omaima Hatem, visiting professor of entrepreneurship at Millikin, and Julie Shields.
Students will develop a business plan for a food-related business as part of the course through learning about new products and processes creation.
Click here to read more about the course in an article from NowDecatur WSOY-AM.