Simon Bevis, MD of R-Biopharm Rhône.
Scottish food science company R-Biopharm Rhône has thrown its weight behind a new initiative by the Institute of Food Science and Technology that will help young people in the UK to take the first step towards a future in the food industry.
The Glasgow-based company is joining household names in the food business, such as Jamie Oliver, Waitrose and Warburtons, as a supporter of FoodStart, which allows employers to post work experience placements for which students can apply.
The programme, now up and running, is driven by the Institute of Food Science and Technology, a qualifying body for food professionals in Europe, which has been supporting the food sector for 50 years.
FoodStart will be an easily accessible portal that will enable food-based employers to post all types of placements, including 14-to-18-year-old secondary school placements, graduate placements, internships and holiday jobs. (It will not deal with more substantive employed roles.)
Placements are a recognised means of letting potential applicants for employment in the food industry demonstrate their enthusiasm, commitment and capability, and successful students will be issued with a certificate of completion.
The new site has been made possible by financial contributions from supporters such as R-Biopharm Rhône, one of Scotland’s most successful scientific exporters and a major supplier of kits for food testing.
The company was thrown into the forefront of the food safety debate when it was called on to provide stringent analysis in the horse meat scandal of 2012. It’s now involved in helping test for the authenticity of fish products.
“The food industry provides worthwhile and fulfilling careers for millions of people in the UK, and it is of the utmost importance that we continue to attract youngsters who are keen and willing to learn,” said Simon Bevis, MD of R-Biopharm Rhône.
“Placements are an excellent way of introducing young people to the complex and fascinating processes in the food industry, and R-Biopharm Rhône is very pleased to be able to give the FoodStart programme its full support.”
R-Biopharm Rhône now has a headcount of more than 50, the highest total in its 25-year history. It is now by far the biggest and most profitable subsidiary of its parent company, German diagnostics company R-Biopharm AG.
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