‘Unhappily, students are deciding food science is not for them’

Mar 26 2008 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A FALL in the number of school pupils choosing science subjects at A-Level is said to be causing a major headache for Yorkshire’s food and drink manufacturers.

The region’s food and drink industry is thriving, with annual sales of £8bn and steady year-on-year growth over the past decade. The sector employs many hundreds of people in Kirklees at companies including Batley-based Fox’ Biscuits and Britvic in Birkby.

But with fewer young people studying science after their GCSEs the industry is being hit by a shortage of qualified food scientists and technologists.

Improve, the York-based food and drinks sector skills council, said targets agreed with employers aimed to double the number of food scientists working in product development and quality assurance in the region to more than 1,000.

But to reach that target by 2014 as planned, Improve chief executive Jack Matthews said there had to be a major increase in the numbers of young people studying science at A-Level and beyond.

“We are in a situation now where only one in five A-Level passes are in biology, chemistry, physics and maths,” said Mr Matthews.

“Unless we increase that number significantly we are going to continue to see food science degree courses under-subscribed. That means we will continue to struggle to fill food science positions in the industry.

“Food scientists drive innovation in food manufacture. It is a wonderfully diverse subject, offering a whole range of career paths.

“But unfortunately school pupils are deciding science is not for them, perhaps without even realising that it is scientist who invented the bubbles in Aero, who developed the cheese-crust pizza and who are making fast food healthier and tastier,’’ he added.

“We need to do more to show that science is at the leading edge of manufacturing, and particularly food and drink manufacturing.

“It is about a lot more than Bunsen burners and the periodic table.”

In a bid to tackle the problem Improve has launched a School’s Challenge programme available to primary and secondary schools across England.

The Challenge Scotland matches schools with local food and drink producers, who set a project for pupils to design and make a new food product. The company then judges the best efforts, with prizes issued to the overall winners.

The programme was so successful in Scotland that more than 12,000 school students have been involved – and a number of the products developed made it to the supermarket shelves.

Mr Matthews also welcomed the introduction of the new 14-19 diplomas to reinvigorate interest in science in schools.

The Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design, due to be rolled out in September next year, will see subjects such as chemistry, maths and engineering taught in applied, practical contexts which will help bring the topics to life in the classroom. One part of the diploma covers food science and manufacture.

Said Mr Matthews: “It is something we have wanted to see as part of the pre-16 curriculum for many years, and now finally it will happen. I would actively encourage every school student to think about taking the diploma as a qualification and considering food science as a career.”