FDF Annual Review 2011: Improving our image

The need to attract 137,000 new employees in to the industry led to our careers campaign 'Taste Success – A Future in Food'.

We know that people's perceptions of food and drink manufacturing are often outdated and far from the truth of a worldclass modern industry.

A highly skilled workforce
Employment law

Not only has this meant that our economic contribution has sometimes been forgotten, it has also acted as a barrier in attracting sufficient high calibre employees into the industry. Without doubt growth, skills and talent are inter-linked and our research last year demonstrates how vital skills will be in helping us to realise our vision.

Against the backdrop of the need to attract 137,000 new employees into the industry which include high value food science and engineering roles, we launched our careers campaign 'Taste Success – A Future in Food' during 2011.

Under a modern and visually engaging brand, Taste Success uses communication strands including events, direct engagement, publications and social media to interact with young people and their advisors. Drawing on industry case studies we have been able to demonstrate that our careers are exciting, challenging and have good pay and prospects.

Taste Success has already made a considerable impact, capturing the interest of national media and Parliamentarians alike. We have also reached out directly into the curriculum through a number of partner organisations working directly with schools and young people.

A highly skilled workforce

Whilst the Taste Success campaign has been working to change perceptions, FDF has worked with members to ensure that the right opportunities are available in the industry for those who seek a career in our sector.

Tim Campbell announces our apprentice pledge at the Community Partnership Awards (CPA) and congratulates our own CPA apprentice of the year winners Alex Fleming (left) who received highly commended, and overall winner Calum Marnock (right)

In October 2011 the first winner of the BBC series 'The Apprentice', and now a skills ambassador himself, Tim Campbell announced our new apprenticeship pledge at FDF's Community Partnership Awards ceremony. This important commitment from members will see the doubling of apprenticeships across the industry by the end of 2012.

FDF is working with members to help them to develop apprenticeships within their companies and the first of a series of roadshows took place in London in October 2011. We will be rolling out further roadshows throughout 2012 with support from the National Apprenticeship Service and Improve, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink.

We are also working with partners to tackle skills shortages across the whole supply chain and contributed to Defra's skills action plan as well as submitting written evidence to the House of Commons enquiry into apprenticeships.

Our second major project on skills is designed to tackle the shortage of engineers qualified specifically in food science. With its members and partners, FDF has developed a specification for a new food engineering degree and in mid 2012 we will appoint a university partner to deliver the new degree.

Employment law

As a major employing sector, we have joined other business organisations to express concerns about the increasing employment regulations that are acting as a barrier to growth.

Following Business Secretary Vince Cable's announcement of a radical reform of employment law we have worked directly with the BIS employment law review team to feed in members' views including making formal submissions to the calls for evidence.

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