Bakery sector’s ‘sexy’ image helping to fill skills gap

09-Dec-2013 - Last updated on 19-Jul-2024 at 11:28 GMT

Television programmes, such as the BBC’s Great British Bake Off, have made the bakery sector “sexy” and fuelled an interest from young people to start careers within the food and drink industry.

That’s the view of David Amos, md of bakery ingredients firm Zeelandia, in this exclusive video for FoodManufacture.co.uk.

“It [The Great British Bake Off] has made the industry a bit sexy, it has changed from probably not [being] on the radar,” Amos said. “[Young people] will sit and watch the Great British Bake Off and then take an actual interest in how bread is produced, different types of bread and what’s involved in it … five years ago [young people] wouldn’t have had a clue.”

Interest

Amos hoped this interest could help fill the skills gap the food and drink manufacturing industry is facing. The industry needs to find 137,000 new recruits to replace those set to retire in the next few years, according to sector skills council Improve.

Watch this video to find out exactly what Amos said the sector needed to do to make sure the interest among young people was turned into careers.

Earlier this year, the boss of bakery firm Dixie’s Cupcakery was runner-up in the final of the BBC TV series The Apprentice.

Luisa Zissman has since attracted the interest of 16 investors for her Angels Den bakery web venture.

To find out what Zeelandia’s business and development manager, Lewis Davage, said the biggest challenges facing the bakery sector were, click here.