Source: Almazara de Interempresas Magazine
Ten years ago, a team of professionals with extensive experience set out to create an environment that would allow us to offer constant support to a forgotten guild in the complex olive oil production chain. Throughout this decade, the Spanish Association of Olive Mill Masters and Operators has managed to give visibility to and recognise the training of essential professionals in the olive mill, which has culminated in more than 100 masters obtaining the certificate of professionalism in the last 3 years.
Throughout these 10 years many things have happened in AEMODA that make each of its directors and members proud of the work we have been developing. In addition to obtaining the certificate of professionalism for more than 100 teachers in the last 3 years, we must add the fact that we have united more than 600 teachers from all over Spain, Portugal, Italy, Chile, Tunisia and Argentina. In addition, we have all been able to share the knowledge that each one of us has and that has enriched the other members through our Telegram group, where we have been providing solutions to the different problems that have arisen for the other members.
One thing that we also value is that the association has become a support in the search for employment between worker and company, as many olive oil mills call us looking for professionals for their mills, and in turn many members have also found work through these job offers that have reached the association at national and international level, with some of our members working in olive oil mills in Portugal, Chile and Argentina.
In these 10 years, the association has gradually become more and more present in the sector through its work. The master miller is to blame for all the evolution that has taken place in the sector. Companies have relied on this figure to develop new technologies and his figure has often played an important role in this evolution with the contributions he has made.
A date marked on the calendar
Every two years since 2016, we have managed to mark a date in the calendar. Being able to hold a congress for oil mill masters has led us to share the new advances that are being developed in the sector, making progress in training, as the subjects that are dealt with are of the utmost importance. At the same time, the congress serves to bring together professionals from different areas of Spain who know each other through the networks and who have the opportunity to meet face to face every two years.
The teacher must undergo continuous training. New technologies continue to advance in our sector and we need to keep abreast of developments. We, the masters, have always been adapting to the changes that our sector has undergone, going in a few years from working with “capachos” to evolving to the new 4.0 olive oil mills. This is why we must not neglect training in order to keep up to date with the evolution of our mills..
From now on, we have very clear objectives, the main one being training and another very important one being the dissemination of the olive oil culture. We are going to continue working along these two lines, continue to grow in membership and reach out wherever there is an olive mill to provide professionals with a meeting point where they can share experiences and continue learning.
Los retos del maestro del futuro
The figure of the oil mill master will continue to evolve as it has done for thousands of years, new technologies are coming to be implemented in oil mills and all this will mean that we will have to rely more and more on a more professional profile. Until a few years ago it was enough to have basic knowledge of mechanics, electricity and a few other things. Times have changed and we have to be aware of this. Cada vez se va a exigir un perfil más formado en aceites, en normas de calidad y sobre todo que maneje los nuevos programas informáticos que se están implantando
The main drawback can be ourselves, and that there are some of us who don’t want to keep evolving and training and you get stuck. Then your mill will have to look for a more technical profile and the work of the master will have to be done by people who are able to adapt to the changes that are taking place. At the moment we already see teachers affected by the digital divide and that age is a limiting factor when it comes to implementing the new production control programmes and they are being displaced to other tasks.
A MESSAGE TO ALL PARTNERS
A message of thanks to all those who have believed in our association and who in one way or another have contributed their grain of sand so that we can continue with this project, because without all of you it would not be possible to do all that we do.
A special mention to the more than 80 companies and institutions of the sector that collaborate with AEMODA and that have always been at our disposal to share their knowledge with the olive mill masters in the different training days that we have been doing throughout these 10 years.
