Ever considered a career in the food and drink manufacturing industry?
Well it’s definitely worth thinking about if you want a career that is stimulating, innovative and fast-moving.
The food and drink sector is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, accounting for 16% of the UK’s total manufacturing sector, employing 400,000 people directly in the UK, and as many as 1.2 million in related food services.
Despite the food and drink sector being the biggest manufacturing sector in the UK, and one of the largest food and drink manufacturing industry in the world, the sector is certainly not complacent. Consumers are more concerned than ever about healthy eating, therefore the industry needs to attract the right people into the sector, now and in the future, who have the appropriate skills and attitude to cope with the growing demands of the public, both at home and globally, to produce food that is safe and of good quality.
The industry’s prospects are good, with the sector continuing to grow, even despite the recent downturn. However, its future sustainability is highly dependent on the skills of its current workforce and crucially, its ability to attract the right talent for the future. Current figures show that by 2017 the sector will require 137,000 new recruits, 45,000 will be for managerial roles and professional occupations (33%).
To help address this issue, FDF is running the ‘Taste Success – A Future in Food’ campaign. Launched last year, Taste Success aims to change the image of working in the industry which was perceived as being boring, low-paid and all about ‘hairnets and wellies’, and to promote the sector as a great career option.
The campaign has several strands, including a digital presence on Facebook and YouTube, where viewers can vote for their sexiest foods and watch three fun videos such as ‘Chili Baby’, highlighting some of the great jobs that people do in the industry. The campaign also features numerous real life case studies from talented and skilled employees who have managed to secure good jobs within the sector.
For more information on the Taste Success campaign please visit www.tastesuccess.co.uk
Follow the FDF on Twitter here -> www.twitter.com/fdftastesuccess