Cooperation Offer

Cross Country Food and Drink Learning

Offer name: 
Cross Country Food and Drink Learning
Expiry date: 
31/12/2018
Offering LAG: 
Country:

Looking to cooperate with

Type of partner: 

Spain, Italy, France – sea side town close to a city

Country(ies):
Type of area:
Assets of the area:

Project idea

Project type:
Project topic:
Additional keywords:
Context: 

The Fife Food & Drink sector is highlighted as a key priority within the Fife Economic Strategy.
Fife has an integral arable community supplying global chain supermarkets; distilleries and breweries with oats; wheat, barley, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables and soft fruits.
Fife’s seafood is also in demand across the globe, for example 95% of Pittenweem’s annual catch is exported internationally.
However a Food and Drink capability study carried out by Scotland Food and Drink, highlighted significant barriers as well as the considerable future opportunities.

Project idea summary: 

The Fife Food & Drink sector is highlighted as a key priority within the Fife Economic Strategy. Fife has an integral arable community supplying global chain supermarkets; distilleries and breweries with oats; wheat, barley, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables and soft fruits. Fife’s seafood is also in demand across the globe, for example 95% of Pittenweem’s annual catch is exported internationally. However a Food and Drink capability study carried out by Scotland Food and Drink, highlighted barriers as well as opportunities, within the Fife sector.
One of the main issues identified by the study was the current and future labour skills gap between what the level of skilled employee that employers require to maintain world leading quality products and whom they can attract. Access to experienced local labour market is restricted, which then has an overall economic impact on the Sector in Fife and the wider rural Fife economy.
The study highlighted that the number of young people choosing a career in catering, butchery or bakery is decreasing, as well as careers in hospitality - creating a gap in Fife’s food and drink businesses and impacting adversely on the, mainly rural, economy in Fife. Reasons for this were given as a lack of understanding of the sector and how a career could be made within it and the low status of the Food and Drink sector amongst School/college leavers.
This project aims to understand more about the current and future skills gaps; why youths are not selecting the Food and Drink sector as a career choice; and raise the understanding of the sector ; raise their skill level of a small group of young people by linking them to équivalent area in an other European area.

Objectives: 

• Identify 8 youths who have a desire to achieve a sustainable career in the Food and Drink sector in Fife.
• Organise a work experience learning visit to Italy where the youths would learn more about the sector and the types of career paths available to them, thereby raising their aspirations
• Carry out further research on the skills gaps within Food and Drink sector in Fife identifying reasons why young people are not looking to this sector as a career of choice
• Work with stakeholders; i.e. Fife College, SRUC, University of Abertay, University of St Andrews, Scotland Food and Drink and Food from Fife Network to identify projects to address the identified gaps.
• Employ a development officer to drive forward the development plan.
The 8 youths will enter into a 1 week work placement within a suitable businesses in Fife. A match of businesses is sought with an other European Leader Area. The Youths will then spend a week in that matched business.
At the conclusion of the work experience it is expected that each business will offer an interview for an internship role. In addition The 8 youths will showcase their international learning at a food and drink event which businesses, industry partners, students and the press will be invited too.
Applications for the Officer role advertised in October, interviews November and starting within the role January 2019. The ask is that the project will commence in January 2019.