Investing in future talent: a new award for food science students is launched
The Hutchinson Jonas Group, recruitment specialists for the food & drink sector, has announced it is to help counter a lack of graduate confidence in the industry by offering an award for excellence on a food science degree at the University of Reading. The £500 annual award, which will be presented for the first time in January 2008, will go to the student who performs best during their placement year in industry.
The award, which will help fund the student's final semester at university, aims to show the students that they are joining an industry that is ready to invest in them, as well as acting as an incentive to do well during their placement year.
"The food & drink industry suffers from an image of being hard work and long hours for poor reward," said Scott Hutchinson, Managing Director of Hutchinson Consultancy, who launched the award with Jonas Consulting. "Where as the reality is that there are some fantastic opportunities for graduates and now is the best time to get involved."
The industry's poor image means that fewer students are choosing to study food science at university and the number of graduates entering the industry is at an all time low. So, despite being the one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the UK economy, the food & drink industry is suffering from an escalating skills shortage.
According to Improve, the food & drink sector skills council, food manufacturers need to recruit an extra 118,000 workers by the end of 2014. The shortage of qualified food scientists means that only one in four food science roles in the UK are filled, leaving over 6,500 vacancies.
"Working in recruitment we see the impact of the skills gap every day. It can be impossible to find qualified candidates for well paid, challenging roles," said Jane Jonas, Director of Jonas Consulting. "We wanted to take a proactive step in wooing the students and hope that the award will help them feel valued by the industry they are about to join, and to understand how in demand they are.
The Hutchinson Jonas award will be given to a student in their fourth and final year of the one of the four food science undergraduate degrees at the University of Reading, which are taught within the Food Biosciences Centre of Excellence. It is the largest department of its kind in the UK and is renowned for its excellence in teaching and research. It works closely links with industry to ensure its courses are tailored to meet employee needs.
One of the main courses, the BSc Food Science with Business, develops skills in business alongside scientific expertise and its graduates are well qualified to enter directly into a management position in the food industry.
Dr Mike Gordon, Director of Teaching & Learning in the Department of Food Biosciences, said: "The food industry needs managers with up-to-date scientific knowledge who can make informed decisions about the future of their business. Our placement year is a vital stage in the training of future food scientists - it gives students the chance to use their skills in a practical environment and really see how they can make a difference.
"The number of graduates with these kinds of skills and experience has been dropping in the UK. It can be frustrating that students aren't aware of the opportunities open to them. Many don't realise that starting salaries for food scientists are around £2,000-£3,000 more than the average for science graduates. The Hutchinson Jonas award is a great way of adding value to the course and showing our students that there are plenty of employment possibilities for them once they graduate."
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