The latest School, the inaugural broiler module, took place in Çesme, Turkey, between 29th October and 5th November 2012, with students from 18 different countries attending. Aimed at poultry professionals involved in the broiler industry, the broiler module followed on from the highly successful breeder module which took place in August in the UK. To get a flavour of what is involved in an Aviagen EMEA School, please view the video by clicking here.

The week-long module included many practical workshops, with 19 expert speakers providing presentations covering broiler production management case studies and problem solving exercises, with students being encouraged to share their own experiences and learn from each other.

The module was highly interactive and included the students being given the opportunity to visit an empty farm of a Turkish customer where they carried out exercises, sampling vaccination administration and ventilation techniques first-hand.

All of the students from the second module of the Production Management School in Turkey

Tore Mercan, International Commercial and Technical Manager in the Middle East, Africa and Asia for Aviagen, who chaired the broiler module, said: “It was a very rewarding experience to see the students learn so much and participate so lively in discussions. They formed great bonds between each other and were a joy to work with. They kept our speakers on their toes with their challenging questions so everyone learnt something. I look forward to seeing them applying their new knowledge in the field.

“There were opportunities not only in a learning setting but also in a social environment for students to spend time getting to know one another, which I know they enjoyed. Geographically, Turkey is a bridge between Europe and Asia and therefore this amazing country provided an ideal location for this School and we hope it will inspire us to build bridges amongst us.”

Michael Garden, Aviagen Business Manager for the Middle East and Africa added: “We’re delighted at the response from the students who attended this second module for the EMEA region. The experience is also a valuable opportunity for us to get field experience to feed-back into our technical support and breeding programmes.”

Student comments were extremely positive. Kayhan Ozkan from Pak Tavuk, Turkey, said: “I learned a huge amount from the module and I look forward to applying this into practical use in the field”, while Frantisek Kohout from ZOD Kolinec, Czech Republic, commented: “The broiler school module was extremely well organised and the activities involved were very enjoyable, particularly the interactive lessons.” Astrid Berg from Nortura SA, Norway, added, “I have to thank Aviagen for a wonderful week where I was able to learn a lot and also make many new friends, which really added to the experience.”

Both the Breeder and Broiler modules will be repeated in 2013 and the inaugural Hatchery and Incubation Management Module is scheduled to take place in the Netherlands between 24 February and 2 March 2013. This module will cover topics including science of incubation, optimising egg handling, hatchery design and health and hygiene.