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| Tuesday, February 08, 2011 | 14:11 |
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Company News
Making food and drink manufacturing a career of first choice
(Drinks Media Wire). Careers in the food and drink manufacturing industry are often thought of as poorly paid with low prospects, but if the industry wants to remain competitive we must raise the profile of the sector and make it an attractive option for young people.
A key area of the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) 1 work in 2011 is to reposition the industry as a 'career of first choice' through the development of a Careers Campaign, which FDF will be launching later on this year.
As well as targeting young people to make them aware of the exciting career opportunities available, FDF has also made the issue a priority for its All Party Parliamentary Food and Drink Manufacturing Group1 who held a breakfast meeting on 08 February to discuss the issues the food and drink industry is facing in terms of poor image and lack of awareness of careers available. The group talked about what industry is doing to attract and inspire young people into the industry, as well as what members of the group can do in their own constituencies and in Parliament to support manufacturing.
The meeting was well attended by parliamentarians, APPG members, stakeholders and Food and Drink Federation (FDF) member companies. The meeting began with a presentation by Roy Norton, Deputy Director at DEFRA, who spoke about what Government is doing to support manufacturing. Bob Spooner, Group Operations Director at Premier Foods, then gave an industry perspective, sharing his first hand experience of the issues and what is happening to address the problems. The sessions were followed by an open discussion session chaired by John Stevenson MP for Carlisle.
APPG Chair, John Stevenson MP said “The food manufacturing industry offers a wealth of exciting career opportunities for young people, from scientists and food technologists to technicians and marketers. Like many other manufacturing sectors, the food and drink industry suffers from a poor image against other career choices and as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Food and Drink Manufacturing Group (APPG), I fully support the work FDF is undertaking to address this and to highlight to stakeholders, including business, government and the media, the positive contribution that the food and drink industry makes to society.
“Today’s meeting is very timely given the hundreds of events taking place around the country in support of National Apprentice Week. It is essential that we continue these discussions and take action in our constituencies, as well as in Parliament, to support manufacturing. Food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK and its' importance to the overall economy should not be underestimated.”
At the meeting FDF also unveiled ‘Busting the Myths’, a booklet which aims to dispel the myth that the food and drink sector is outdated by showing young people that the sector is leading the way in regards to scientific and technological innovation, research and development.
For more information & images, please contact Nicki Hunt, Sarah Jenkinson or Rebecca Wilhelm on 020 7420 7132/31/40.
Notes to Editors
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is the voice of the food and drink manufacturing industry – the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. For more information about FDF and the industry we represent visit: www.fdf.org.uk.
The primary functions of the All Party Parliamentary Food and Drink Manufacturing Group are to consider the issues of concern to the food and drink manufacturing industry and to raise awareness of these matters in Parliament, to promote the interests of the industry ensuring Parliamentarians remain informed of key issues, and to provide a forum for debate and dialogue about issues related to food and drink manufacturing. Further details about the APPG and its members can be found on the website http://www.appgfooddrink.org.uk/
Contact
| Name: Nicki Hunt |
| E-mail: Nicki.Hunt@fdf.org.uk |
| Web: http://www.fdf.org.uk |
| Company: Food and Drink Federation (FDF) |
| Address: 6 Catherine Street - WC2B 5JJ London |
| Country: UNITED KINGDOM |
| Phone: +44 (0)20 7420 7132 |
| Fax: +44 (0)20 7836 0580 |
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