Olive Oil On-Line Campus

The Valencian company ESAO – Escuela Superior del Aceite de Oliva – launches the ESAO Online Campus, the first one at international level specialized in the olive oil sector.

The state of alarm decreed on the occasion of the COVID-19 has turned our routine upside down; most people have had to switch to “teleworking” or leave their jobs for a while. However, thanks to new technologies and the great commitment to online training, many professionals and students can continue their activities, with the only difference that they do so from home.

The Escuela Superior del Aceite de Oliva, located in Valencia, is taking advantage of the state of alarm to develop its online campus, which began at the end of 2019. “When the state of alarm was declared in March, we were forced to postpone all our planned classroom training for March, April and even May and June. This has allowed us to focus all our efforts on developing the ESAO online campus, the first one at an international level specialized in olive oil training”, says Marta González, Executive Director of ESAO.

The campus includes the School’s own degrees, which can now be taken online, as well as specialized courses in the different aspects of olive oil: virgin olive oil tasting, processing, olive grove management, oil press mechanics and export and marketing, among others.

In addition, through the campus, online programs can also be hired, such as the Field Assessment Program, or the Annual Maintenance Program in Oil Tasting.

“At ESAO, as a forerunner of olive training, we understand that distance learning has to be our main challenge today and become part of our library. For us, on many occasions, travel is not necessary and even represents an increase in costs that could be avoided”, points out Susana Romera, ESAO’s Technical Director.

The campus is aimed at professionals in the olive oil and gastronomy sectors, as well as laymen with an interest in this Mediterranean product. It is configured in Spanish and English and already has students from various parts of Spain and other countries, such as Australia, Greece, Egypt or Argentina, among others, according to ESAO.

“Online training is the present and the future of education in all areas. Even in the classroom, more and more digital tools are used to support the classes. It is true that contact with teachers and other students is beneficial and brings positive things to the educational experience, but this aspect is also advancing rapidly in online training and, if you can not attend classroom training due to lack of time or other reasons, e-learning is a perfect alternative”.