Improve, the Food and Drink Sector Skills Council has launched the third year of ‘Tasty Careers,’ a campaign designed to educate young people about the wide variety of excellent careers opportunities available within the food and drink manufacturing sector.

Following the success of last year’s initiative, ‘Tasty Careers,’ which is supported by the Department for Employment and Learning, is providing talks from ambassadors in schools across Northern Ireland, highlighting the 6,000 jobs available for skilled workers. To be recruited by 2017, these job opportunities equate to approximately one third of the current employment levels.

Employing over 19,000 full time employees, the food and drink sector is the biggest single manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland. During school visits, ‘Tasty Careers’ ambassadors will give presentations to pupils, bringing to life examples of case studies of those employed across a range of job types and levels within the sector.

Students will receive an insight into the ambassadors’ day-to-day activities and long-term career prospects as well as advice on the best qualifications and educational path to their current position within the sector.

Commenting on this year’s campaign launch, Geoff Lamb, NI Operations Manager, Improve, said: “‘Tasty Careers’ continues to be a very popular initiative in schools across Northern Ireland and we are delighted to be launching it again this year. In the current economic climate, we want to educate students about the significant career opportunities available in the food and drink sector – a pivotal and stable industry in Northern Ireland contributing in excess of £3 billion a year to the local economy.

“Supported by government bodies and key players within the industry, we want the ‘Tasty Careers’ campaign to make pupils consider their careers options and educate them in an industry that has an impressive average starting salary of up to £22,000 and has impending skills shortages and gaps within the market.”

For more information or to book an ambassador, schools can visit www.tastycareers.org.uk