Congratulations to BMPA’s Technical Policy Manager, Nan Jones, who has been awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship to explore how the meat industry can attract, develop and retain its workforce of the future.
Labour shortages have been a persistent headache for the UK meat processing industry for years. But rather than looking for another short-term fix, BMPA’s Nan Jones is setting out to explore how we can tackle the problem more sustainably.
Nan has been selected for a prestigious Nuffield Farming Scholarship, giving her the opportunity to travel internationally, investigate how other countries are addressing similar workforce challenges and bring fresh ideas back to the UK.
Her research project, Addressing Labour Shortages in the Meat Industry: Solutions for a Modern Workforce Beyond Short-Term Thinking, will look at some of the fundamental issues affecting recruitment and retention in our sector.
Through her work at BMPA, Nan sees first-hand how labour shortages affect businesses, from productivity and investment decisions to staff morale and long-term resilience.
Her research will explore how the industry can attract a wider pool of potential employees, better promote the careers available in meat processing and develop clearer training and progression pathways. She’ll also examine the role of Government policy, including how domestic skills development can be supported alongside the continuing need for migrant workers.
Nan is planning around eight weeks of international study, visiting Japan, Canada, the USA and several European countries.
In Japan, she’ll investigate government-led recruitment initiatives and links between industry, schools and training providers. Canada will offer insights into immigration systems and migrant worker integration, while the USA will provide opportunities to explore partnerships between universities and industry.
Closer to home, visits to Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark will focus on apprenticeships, innovation, automation and how businesses present themselves to prospective employees.
The aim is to identify approaches that could work in the UK and turn those findings into practical, evidence-based recommendations for industry and Government.
Nan’s research comes at an important time. There is growing recognition that solving the industry’s workforce challenges will require more than simply filling vacancies. It means changing perceptions, investing in skills and making meat processing a career that more people actively choose.
We’re delighted that Nan has been selected for this prestigious scholarship and look forward to sharing what she discovers along the way. Congratulations, Nan!
Find out more about the Nuffield Farming Scholarships.
We are the UKs largest trade body for the meat industry and provide expert advice on trade issues, bespoke technical advice and access to government policy makers
We are proud to count businesses of all sizes and specialties as members. They range from small, family run abattoirs serving local customers to the largest meat processing companies responsible for supplying some of our best-loved brands to shops and supermarkets.
We are further strengthened by our associate Members who work in industries that support and supply our meat processing companies.
We are the voice of the British meat industry.
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Clerkenwell, EC1 0DP
Tel: 020 7329 0776
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