Mapping Skills Needs and Supply in the Dairy Sector

This project set out to identify the skills needs and skills provisions, as well as any gaps between these two, in the European dairy sector. It did this through comprehensive surveying of industry, education and recent graduate stakeholders in 14 countries, over a 3-year period. In total, 117 dairy plants (of multiple sizes), 56 educational institutions (from vocational to university level) and 65 graduates were surveyed. This information was analyzed for emergent themes for current skills gaps and also for the future needs of the industry. From this analysis, 6 thematic recommendations have been made.The most significant need which was identified was recruitment with almost 80 % of the European dairy industry identifying this as a top challenge. This was followed by dairy skill needs with approximately 75 % priority need. This is significant as there has been a trend in many countries to turn dairy education into general food education with the possibility of specializing in dairy. This work has clearly identified that this educational strategy runs contrary to the industry needs. Other high-ranking skills in demand from the dairy industry are digital skills, business understanding and food safety skills. All of these were priorities by over 60% of the industries consulted. These findings are so significant across the dairy industry, that it is vital to improve curriculums, adapt current levels and opt for better partnerships between the industry and the educational institutions if the European dairy industry is to keep up with international demands and stay competitive.Based on the surveys conducted in the educational institutions (56), dairy education should remain separate from general food science and/or technology education, and in those countries where there is no specific dairy education, this should be reevaluated.The project has produced four major reports:1.Recommendations to close the gaps – between demands from the Dairy Industry and Supply from Dairy Educational Institutions (translated into French, German, Turkish and Polish)2.Skill Gaps in the Dairy Manufacturing Sector in Europe – a data analysis3.Best Practices on Work Based Learning – from the Dairy Industry4.Best Practices from Dairy Front Liners – focus on green and digital skillsSummary statistics for stakeholder involvement include :-56 educational institutions-117 commercial dairy companies-6 representative bodies and national agencies-25 invited speakers and contributors-238 individual interviews-238 completed data sets from individuals-14 survey countries-11 Participaing Partners-40 Associated PartnersQuotation from final external review : This has been a highly successful project with over 97% of the ambitious outputs and metrics achieved. The results and recommendations provide dairy professionals with a valuable addition to the existing body of knowledge with regard to skills needs now and into the future. What was interesting from the surveys’ results is that they confirm the issues (that were always expected) that are the main problems facing the dairy sector. It has also been useful in prioritizing the issues that are most urgent. Additionally, it provides the first comprehensive, detailed and factual account of what was previously a “taken for granted” concept.