Food skills summit leads to launch of quest for new recruits

Leading representative from across the food & drink supply chain have launched a campaign to find £75,000 new recruits for the industry following a high profile food skills summit this week (Week commencing 14 October 2013).

Over 100 representatives from across the industry, from farmers unions through to food manufacturers, were present as the ‘Future Skills… food for thought’ campaign was officially unveiled.

Leading local restaurateur and food writer Simon Wright has shown his support to the Welsh Food & Drink Skills Project campaign to find 75,000 Welsh recruits to plug the future skills gaps across the food and drink sector and we are looking for more.

Following research commissioned by the project highlighting significant skills gaps across the supply chain the campaign will run over 2013/14 travelling the breadth of Wales and engaging with leading employers and membership bodies from across the industry. It is projected that through plugging these gaps the sector can expand further over the coming decade and consolidate its position as the largest collective employer in Wales.

Sian Roberts-Davies, Business Development Manager at Lantra, said: “For the food & drink sector in Wales to thrive it needs employees who are enthusiastic, capable and skilled and that starts with ensuring that they have the right skills. Recent research commissioned by Project partners found that 45% of food businesses reported technical skills gaps which needed filling in their workforce not to mention a range of skills likely to grow in further importance over the coming years. Our research identifies the need for approximately 75,000 additional skilled workers for the industry, leading up to 2020, be this from new entrants or through up-skilling existing employees. It is for this reason we are launching a campaign calling for Wales’ brightest to consider a future in this key industry along with existing entrants to make regular skills development a way of life.”

Over the coming months the campaign, titled ‘Future Skills … food for thought’, will be looking for new recruits to fill gaps identified across the entire food and drink supply chain, from agriculture through to manufacturing, retail and hospitality. One specific area of concern in the sector at present are the lack of new entrants with specialism of food technology where future growth prospects of Welsh food manufacturing and processing businesses are being hampered by a scarcity of workers.

Project partners have developed this call to action due to the vital role the sector plays in underpinning the wider Welsh economy. Together, all of the businesses that make up the food and drink industry in Wales employ around 230,000 people. This represents 18% of the Welsh workforce, making it the largest collective employer in Wales. Generating around £6.5bn of sales revenue annually, the industry is, in fact, now the largest combined industry of employment in Wales.

As part of the campaign leading employers and membership bodies will be signing-up their organisations to promote the campaign to plug skills gaps by encouraging new entrants all the way through to further skills developments within the industry. With the correct training and experience, it can provide the opportunity to develop a challenging and rewarding life long career in the food and drink industry.

Simon Wright of Wrights Food Emporium, said: “Together, all of the businesses that make up the food and drink industry in Wales employ around 230,000 people, which represents 18% of the Welsh workforce, and generating around £6.5bn of sales revenue annually.

“The key to driving the sector forward and underpinning it with solid and sustainable foundations for the future is in finding the right people to take the reins and lead by example. These people need to be highly skilled as well as highly passionate about Welsh food & drink. Hopefully this call to action will encourage those that may never have considered a career in the industry to look again at the wide range of skilled jobs available to them.”

The Welsh Food and Drink Skills Project is supported the Sector Priorities Fund Pilot programme with funding from the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government.

 

About the Welsh Food & Drink Skills Project

To learn more about the project visit www.foodanddrinkskills.co.uk

Key findings from the Delivering Skills for the Future Growth report

• Together, all of the businesses that make up the food and drink industry in Wales employ around 230,000 people
• This represents 18% of the Welsh workforce, making it the largest collective employer in Wales
• Generating around £6.5bn of sales revenue annually, the industry is, in fact, now the largest combined industry of employment in Wales
• Approximately 14,000 workers in the food and drink sector in Wales have skills deficiencies of some sort
• 45% of businesses in the sector reported technical skill gaps when it came to their workforce
• 22% of businesses reported a general skills gap where their workforce as a whole didn’t possess the necessary skills to carry out the needs of the business
• Skills where both a high technical skill gap was identified, and where businesses rated their importance highly, include Sales and Merchandising, Food Technology, Operating and Maintaining Equipment, Business and Administration skills, Waste Awareness, and Environmental Awareness and Practice