Food skills shortages to be tackled with new initiative

With the engineering and technology skills gap and labour shortages particularly evident in the food and drink industry, the ambitious project sees the two organisations collaborating to develop an exciting new outreach programme for young people.

Through curriculum-aligned interactive workshops, the programme has the potential to help thousands of students in UK state secondary schools explore engineering roles in the food industry.

Plus, the programme seeks to reach even more young people indirectly, by upskilling teachers to be able to talk confidently to students about engineering careers in the food industry.

With half (48 percent) of recruiting managers in the food industry citing engineering roles as the most difficult to fill, this comes at a crucial time for the sector.

Maddie Dinwoodie, Director of Engagement Programmes at EngineeringUK, explains: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with IGD to ensure more young people are aware of the range of fantastic engineering careers in the food industry.

“By working together and combining our expertise, we’re creating an exciting new programme that will help inform and inspire the next generation.

“High-quality STEM outreach programmes such as this are vital for driving change and ensuring young people from all backgrounds are interested in, and have access to, engineering and technology career opportunities.

“With [a] lack of diversity an ongoing barrier for widening the talent pool, we’re particularly aiming to reach young people who are typically underrepresented in engineering and technology roles in the food industry.”

Sarah McCarthy, Head of Employability Programmes at IGD, commented: “We are excited to partner with EngineeringUK on inspiring the next generation of engineers for the food and drink industry.

“This initiative is an excellent opportunity to help build a workforce that can address critical skills gaps and meet future challenges, while also supporting greater diversity and representation in STEM careers.

“Few industries offer as many exciting and meaningful career opportunities. For young people who want their work to reflect their values – whether that’s tackling climate change, driving sustainability, or improving public health – the food and drink industry is where they can make a real difference.”

Development of the programme is currently underway, with the pilot programme due to launch in schools this summer.

It is the latest in EUK Education’s programmes for schools, which aim to inspire young people from all backgrounds to consider engineering and technology careers.

IGD has trained over 130,000 young people across more than 30 percent of UK secondary schools with its employability workshops. To find out more, click here.

The UK needs many more organisations to support STEM outreach activities. To find out more about EngineeringUK’s work to drive change and build a robust future workforce, click here.

Any organisation that designs, delivers, supports or funds STEM outreach activities is encouraged to join The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code.