Skills in the Food and Drink Sector
Introduction to Skills in the Food and Drink Sector
Employing staff with the right skills is important for any business, but
research suggests there is a skills 'gap', or shortage, in the UK's food and
drink
industry.
In particular, there is a lack of food scientists and technologists.
These
are the people who help develop new products and new ways to make our food
and
drink healthier, tastier and more convenient. They also make sure our food
is
safe
to eat.
FDF supports the work of Improve, which is the food industry's Sector Skills
Council. Set up by employers, and approved by the Government. Its job is to lay
the
foundations for improving the skills of people who work in the food
industry,
and
to attract more skilled workers to jobs with food and drink
companies.
To address the skills gap, FDF would like to see Improve help employers to
make
full use of the government funding available to train employees.
FDF would
also
like to see Improve
develop
arrangements for proper recognition of the
large
amount of training given
by
employers to their staff. Many FDF
members provide
in-house training which
does not
lead to a formal
qualification.
In fact,
only
15%
of
the study
undertaken by
staff in the food
and
drink industry
leads to
a
formal
qualification.
FDF also
believes
Improve
should work to
enhance the
image of
the food
and drink sector
as
an
attractive industry in
which to
develop a
fulfilling
career.
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The Independent: Food Science Careers Supplement
At the beginning of April, FDF and Improve sponsored an eight page food science supplement in The Independent [1]. It covered many areas of the food and drink
industry, including information
on food science careers available, the route into the
profession, university
courses and the type of roles in the industry.
The supplement was distributed at the Institute of Food Science and Technology
(IFST) spring conference on 4 April and also to members of FDF involved in this
area of work.
More Information
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Last reviewed: 29 Oct 2008