The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink has launched a new website to encourage more youngsters into the industry.

The food manufacturing skills body has launched a ‘Tasty Careers’ website- to attract more young talent.

The new site (www.tastycareers.org.uk) offers free online advertising for entry-level jobs in the food and drink industry - including work experience, posts for graduates and apprenticeships.

The site is being backed by ongoing social media outreach across Twitter (@TastyCareers), Facebook and YouTube.

The organisation is also running a school and college outreach programme, involving young people in the sector talking to other peers about the industry and their role.

Skills Academy chief executive Justine Fosh said: “The gap between what young people perceive food manufacturing to be all about and the reality has been an industry bugbear for many years and Tasty Careers dispels the myths head-on. We are a secure growth industry offering a wide variety of exciting, worthwhile careers with competitive salaries and excellent career prospects.”

“With an ageing workforce, the sector faces a real challenge in getting the advantages of food and drink careers top of mind with young people. A survey by the UK Commission for Employment & Skills last year showed that over a third of teenagers are interested in just 10 occupations - with celebrity roles in acting and professional sport now sitting alongside traditional careers in law, medicine, psychology and teaching.

Nestlé, William Jackson Food Group, Lantmännen Unibake, Arla, Bakkavör and Morrisons have already used the website to advertise positions. 

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