The BIS See Inside Manufacturing initiative was designed in partnership with the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and the youth skills initiative MyKindaCrowd to encourage young women to pursue a career in a STEM subject (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Cargill, Mars UK, Nestlé UK & Ireland, and PepsiCo UK & Ireland opened their factory doors in November to young students in a bid to promote careers in food and drink engineering and give the young women a first-hand taste of the food and drink industry.
William Akerman, founder and managing director, MyKindaCrowd, said: “Our research showed that 71% of young people are not aware of the career opportunities available in the food and drink industry. So these site visits are vital. All of the visits have been extremely inspiring for the students and it is very encouraging that businesses are proactively looking to support more females into STEM roles.
“The MyKindaCrowd programme is an exceptional opportunity for young students to get on the inside track of engineering within food and drink. At the same time, the FDF member companies will help the students to develop work skills and will benefit by establishing links with talented future recruits.”
Angela Colesill, director of Employment & Skills at FDF, said: “The skills agenda is a top priority for our industry and we are proud that our members continue to support careers initiatives such as the MyKindaCrowd engineering visits to ensure a solid succession plan for employment in our sector and give these students a real insight into the industry.
“At the heart of this collaboration is the aim to raise awareness for the industry-backed MEng Food Engineering degree at Sheffield Hallam University as well as FDF’s Women into STEM pledge as part of the Your Life campaign, which encourages women to pursue science or engineering careers in food and drink.”
The Food and Drink Federation is an industry representative for the food and drink manufacturing industry and is working with MyKindaCrowd to connect young people with opportunities in the working world.