The International Centre for Aroma Trades Studies (ICATS) has provided an update of its latest activities:
2014 is proving an exciting year for the ICATS team, now located in their new office in the recently completed Marine Building at Plymouth University. Research modules are now available to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) participants.
Existing links to the industry continue to develop with a £20,000 donation from IFEAT to support ICATS educational activity and ICATS contributions to the BSP 50th Anniversary Book. Exciting new links are being forged with BSF, BFA, IFRA in the United Kingdom and the School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Singapore Polytechnic.
ICATS is now settled into its new office located in the Formation Zone of the recently completed Marine Building. Unfortunately, ICATS staff will not to be given driving licenses to operate the cutting-edge technology wave machine being used to explore novel ways to generate sustainable energy so the surf boards will have to stay at home!
Tony Curtis (ICATS director of studies) says, “With sustainability high up the agenda in the Aroma Trades it is good to be located with groups devoted to green issues.”
With the ever-increasing importance of CPD (continuing professional development), ICATS has started to offer individual modules to people who want to strengthen their professional skills without taking the full IFEAT post-graduate diploma in aroma trades studies. IFEAT has now approved two intermediate awards, an IFEAT certificate in aroma trades studies (for students successfully completing 1/3 of the full program) and an IFEAT diploma in aroma trades (for students successfully completing 2/3 of the full program). To further enhance the options for CPD-mode students, a new module, current Issues in the aroma trades, has been approved, which will allow CPD participants to complete a company-based research topic as part of their studies.
Past support and collaboration continues. IFEAT has again donated £20,000 to ICATS to support activities and student events.
Curtis says, “This support is invaluable and plans are well in hand for the next BSP Perfumery Workshop Weekend to be held in March 2015. ICATS contributed two chapters to British Perfumery: A Fragrant History, celebrating 50 years of the British Society of Perfumers. This sumptuously-illustrated book was published in October 2013 to great critical acclaim; it was received so successfully that it has already had to go into reprint. With the increasing importance of Singapore as a base for the aroma trades, IFEAT is working to provide regional support to aroma trades education activity in the Asia-Pacific area. Discussions are in hand with ICATS, BSP, IFEAT and the School of Chemical and Life Sciences (Singapore Polytechnic) to rerun the 2015 BSP Perfumery Workshop in Singapore in 2016. This year’s joint BSP/IFRA UK March workshop on regulatory affairs (held at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, London) is yet another indication of the increasing importance of this topic. IFRA UK has reviewed the existing ICATS module Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Issues in the Aroma Trades. This industry input to learning material is vital in this ever-changing area."
Discussions are also in hand to further improve CPD provision in the regulatory affairs area. Another area for new cooperation is the recently introduced flavor pathway, with potential areas of collaboration being explored with BSF and BFA.
Curtis concluded, “2014 is proving an eventful year. All this linkage with the industry is vital; that the ICATS/IFEAT program content is determined by the industry for its own professionals is a key strength of the course."
