Giving young people direct experience of food and farming may be one of the best ways to persuade them that the food and farming industry offers careers worth considering.
That is the thinking behind the NFU’s AgriFuture Scholarship Programme, which has just taken 43 Year 9 and 10 pupils on a five-day residential in the Peak District.
The programme is aimed at young people from racially marginalised backgrounds who are currently under-represented in agriculture. Run in collaboration with the British Ethnicity and Diversity Society and Equalinks, it combines residential visits with mentoring and work placements.
And importantly, the residential was very hands-on.
Students tried tractor driving and sheepdog training, worked alongside a farm vet, explored the use of artificial intelligence for wildlife monitoring and followed food from farm to fork through cooking and butchery sessions.
NFU vice-president Robyn Munt said the aim was to showcase “the vast range of career opportunities our sector has to offer.”
That breadth is one of the programme’s strengths. Food and farming careers extend far beyond the traditional image many young people may have of working on a farm. Including food preparation and butchery helps show the wider supply chain too.
Initiatives like AgriFuture give young people a chance to experience the industry before they have settled on a career path, and could help broaden the pool of people who see food and agriculture as somewhere they can build a future.
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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