Moira Stalker
National Schools Co-ordinator
The Scottish Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry
Almost 1,200 businesses
£9bn turnover
2/3rds UK Farm Production
Exporting £5.4bn in 2012
Largest manufacturing sector
Target to grow to £7bn by 2017
21% of total industry
turnover in Scotland
Annual R&D spend £10m
growing through the downturn
Nearly 50,000 employees
24% of employment
300+ members including…
SFDF Member Focus
Food Safety
Regulation
Delivering Healthy Growth
Recipe Reformulation
Responsible Marketing
SODIUM
REDUCTION:
96%
Food Labelling
Workplace Wellbeing
The Competitiveness Challenge
• An ageing workforce: 49% eligible for retirement in
next 20 years
• Between 2010 - 2020, 170,300 new recruits required
• 20% of people working in food manufacturing are
qualified to degree level
• Skills shortages in technical disciplines e.g. food
science and technology and engineering
• IfM research: 1 in 5 parents would encourage their
children to consider a career in manufacturing in the UK
• Improve research: Only 15% of young people would
consider a career in food manufacturing!
A Future in Food
• Promote the food and drink industry
as a “Career Destination of Choice”
• Demonstrate industry relevance over
a broad range of subjects, in
particular STEM.
• Make connections between what
pupils are learning in school;
qualifications and skills; employment
opportunities and career pathways.
• Inspire pupils to make connections
between the food on their plates and
employment in the food and drink
industry.
A Future in Food: How it works
SFDF brokers partnerships to encourage
industry into schools and schools into
industry
To date, A Future in Food has delivered:
• Unique partnerships, delivered across
Scotland
• Different approaches used in each
partnership
• Industry scenarios used to set scene
• Link with a range of industry and
other partners
Partnerships – some examples
North Lanarkshire Dragons Lair
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Authority wide competition in partnership with
local authority and local business
Open to all primary schools
All receive the same brief
Finalists chosen and given company input
Final event – Dragons Lair
Bathgate Academy and AK Stoddart – Burger
Challenge
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Work with partners to develop a challenge for
pupils to design a new burger
Partner launch for whole year group
Farm Visits and site visits to AK Stoddart and
TESCO
Work on designing product, packaging, costing
Product evaluation by company and partners
Final event
Border Biscuits and Lanark Grammer
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Local employer working with local school
Company delivering support in all years
Working with Science, Home Economics,
Business Education
Provide site visits to other local schools to
highlight requirement for technologists and
scientists.
Extend Partnerships
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Better Eating Better Learning
Supporting Health Choices
Education Working for All
Good Food Nation
Support introduction of new qualifications
Extend partnerships to demonstrate links and
opportunities throughout food chain
• Develop skills and understanding
Food & Drink Skills Ambassadors
• Challenging outdated perceptions about the sector
• Encouraging young people to explore careers in areas they
may never have thought about before
• Helping with:
– Classroom activities and school clubs
– Speed career networking events
– Site visits
– Teacher CPD
– Judging projects and challenges
– Large events for school pupils and the general public
such as Skills Scotland, Food/Science Festivals, Royal
Highland Show
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Food & Drink Skills Ambassadors
• Wide range of roles being recruited:
• People who have arrived through all routes:
‒ Apprenticeships, College and University, Other sectors or
straight from school
– All age groups from 18 to retirees
– Minimal commitment of 1 activity/year
– Linked to the STEM Ambassadors Programme
– Ambassadors also benefit from volunteering
– Improved understanding of subject area through presenting to
young people with a different perspective
– Networking with similar people within the Ambassadors
network, sharing ideas
– Having fun!
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Resources
• Range of careers films including:
– A World of Opportunities
– A Future in Food
– Taste Success
www.sfdf.org.uk/sfdf/schools_programme/
• The Ultimate Food and Drink Challenge
• Case Studies
• Food and Drink Ambassadors
• YouTube
www.youtube.com/user/FDFchannel
Careers in Food and Drink
Routes into industry
• SQA suite of qualifications
• Direct entry
• Apprenticeships
• Further and higher
education
MEng Food Engineering
Food
industry
knowledge
World-class
engineering
Sheffield
Hallam
University
Centre of
Excellence
Motivated
graduates
Food for thought?
“Some things search engines can’t do
for us – we all gotta eat!”
Former Silicon Valley Entrepreneur and now
farmer and producer Stephen Butler, Ben
Lomond, Santa Cruz, CA.
Thank you
[email protected]
http://www.sfdf.org.uk/sfdf/careers.aspx
http://www.sfdf.org.uk/sfdf/schools_programme
http://www.tastesuccess.co.uk/