News article
15 August 2012
A-Level results day: Check out food and drink manufacturing for a career full of flavour!
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PRESS RELEASE
As students across the UK find out their A-Level results tomorrow, the UK food
and drink manufacturing industry's careers campaign 'Taste Success – A Future
in
Food' is highlighting the wide range of exciting job opportunities available in
the sector.
Food and drink manufacturing is one of the UK's great success stories, producing
products that are loved across the globe and generating a turnover of over
£76bn
a year. To maintain its competitiveness and role as a global leader in food
production, the sector estimates it needs around 137,000 new recruits by 2017.
Top facts about careers in food and drink manufacturing:
- Opportunities are available in careers such as food science, product
development, marketing and communications, nutrition and well-being, human
resources,
packaging, research and design.
- Pay and prospects are good, with starting salaries for roles such as food
scientists and technologists being between £20,000 and £25,000 a year,
increasing to
between £30,000 and £45,000 with experience and increased responsibilities.
- The industry offers a variety of entry points, including apprenticeships,
graduate and other highly-skilled roles.
The Taste Success campaign engages with young people via various channels
including online, to bust the myths about food and drink manufacturing and
raise
awareness of the good career prospects in the sector has to offer. For more on
careers in food and drink manufacturing, go to 'Taste Success – A Future in Food'
Spokesperson for the Taste Success campaign, Nicki Hunt, said:
“The UK's food and drink manufacturing sector is incredibly successful,
producing some of the world's most famous brands."
“If you're looking for a career that is challenging and offers great pay and
prospects, then this could be the sector for you. There are a wide range of
opportunities available and food and drink companies are keen to get fresh, new
talent
on board.”
Robert Greatrex, Apprentice Plant Technician, Nestlé UK & Ireland said:
“I chose an apprenticeship in engineering because it means I can continue doing
something I love. I have always been interested in engineering, even as a child
I used LEGO to design models and as I grew older I worked on the maintenance of
car engines in my spare time. I can now see a clear career path in Nestlé which
makes me excited for the future.”
Rob Ward, Communications Assistant at Dorset Cereals said:
"Food manufacturing can be very forward-thinking as a sector, it is
incredibly
competitive and so you have to be continually pushing the boundaries to be
noticed, which means we are constantly looking to be at the forefront of
marketing,
learning all the time.”
Note to Editors
- Taste Success – A Future in Food' is a careers campaign run by the voice of UK food and drink manufacturers, the Food and Drink
Federation (FDF) in partnership with the food and drink skills council Improve
and the
Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). The campaign aims to raise
awareness of careers in the food and drink manufacturing industry. For further
information, please visit: www.tastesuccess.co.uk.
More information
Nicki Hunt on or 020 7420 7132 - nicki.hunt@fdf.org.uk
Rebecca Wilhelm or 020 7420 7140 - rebecca.wilhelm@fdf.org.uk
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