Shape the future: have your say on skills in Scottish food & drink

Scottish food and drink businesses are urged to share their insights on the sector's key skills challenges by completing an online survey.

Employer feedback is crucial for updating the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership's Skills Action Plan. The survey takes just 15 minutes and can be accessed here: https://forms.office.com/e/jsLwZLGf11

Importance of industry input

The current Skills Action Plan, launched in 2020, guides efforts to address skills issues across the industry. With significant economic shifts over the past five years, industry perspective is vital to ensure the updated plan accurately reflects current and future needs.

Moira Stalker, FDF Scotland Skills Manager and Skills Advisory Group member, said: “To carry out this review, we need to know what's changed for Scottish food & drink employers and what they see as the key skills issues - now and in the future.

“Initial feedback highlights that vacancies are impacting business growth. The food & drink industry is the third largest sector employer in Scotland and we know we need to attract and retain talent and be seen as an industry of choice.

“We also know that both industry and education providers need a joined-up framework that connects education, training and labour market demands. By completing the survey, food & drink businesses can make sure they have a say and help us build a compelling proposition around the diverse range of jobs and careers available within the industry.”

Next steps

The survey closes on August 15. Responses will inform the new Skills Action Plan, expected by the end of the year. This plan will directly support the refresh of the “people and skills” priority of Scotland's food and drink strategy “Sustaining Scotland, Supplying the World”.

For those interested in providing more detailed feedback, one-to-one interviews are also being conducted. Please contact Mark Morrison at mark.morrison@optimat.co.uk to express your interest.