Apparently the agri-food sector in the north is expected to create 15,000 new positions by 2020.
The fear is that there will be a skills shortage amongst the labour force, with 77 per cent of school pupils unaware of career opportunities within the industry. The agri-food sector is the biggest employer apparently in the North, three quarters of school pupils didn’t know this, nor did Stalker.
The Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association is hoping to address the issue. “We will adopt a joined up industry approach to ensure buy-in from all stakeholders in agreeing a detailed action plan to improve perception of the food and drink sector;” that’s according to Harry Hamilton from the NIFDA.
