The British Poultry Council (BPC) held its annual seminar today (9th June) entitled A Future for British Poultry: Our People.
Its aim was to set a template for recruitment, education, training, and development in the sector for the next ten years.
Building on a number of on-going initiatives BPC Chairman, John Reed, announced the industry’s commitment to a comprehensive plan to raise the profile and contribution of British poultry to show young people that a long and worthwhile career is available to them. He said: “Sustainability for this sector is built upon the skills and commitment of our people, and success in the future means keen young people starting in the industry today.”
He continued: “We already offer apprenticeships and scholarships but we now need to influence how poultry is taught in colleges and universities. We must support the educators and give them the confidence to keep poultry on their syllabus.”
A key message for the audience was how industry has the opportunity to shape qualifications and training to directly suit the needs of companies. The tightening of Government funding has led to business footing more of the bill, but with that responsibility comes the prospect of bespoke qualifications that are more fit-for-purpose than previously.
Mr Reed concluded: “This programme is about long-term consistency, the ability of the British poultry industry to attract quality young people year-in year-out for the foreseeable future.”
ENDS
