Milburn review: Volunteering can bridge the gap

The Milburn review reinforces a growing risk for the food industry: a shrinking entry-level workforce, despite rising inactivity among young people. Many employers are competing for a limited talent pool, while large numbers of young people remain disconnected from work. 

For senior people leaders, this raises a broader question. Is the industry relying too heavily on hiring ready-made talent, rather than helping to shape it earlier? If so, that leaves a growing gap between available roles and engaged, work-ready candidates. 

Volunteering is often seen as giving back. But following the Milburn review, it is increasingly clear that it can also play a practical role in addressing this challenge. It offers a way for employers to build visibility, connection and trust with future talent long before a job advert goes live. 

This matters because the gap is not just about skills. It is also about access, awareness and meaningful interaction with employers. For many young people, the food industry is still invisible as a career option or associated with outdated perceptions of the roles it offers. 

Engaging with young people earlier helps to change that. It builds familiarity with the sector, challenges assumptions about food and drink careers, and enables organisations to play a more visible role in shaping the skills, confidence and aspirations of the next generation. 

Evidence shows that when young people have multiple, meaningful encounters with employers, they are significantly more likely to move into education, employment or training. For many, these interactions provide their first real insight into the opportunities available—and the confidence to pursue them. 

What effective engagement looks like 

Effective engagement brings employers from across the food system directly to young people, offering practical insights into careers and the skills used in the world of work. The aim is to make opportunities feel tangible and accessible, rather than distant or abstract. 

One example is IGD’s Schools Volunteering Programme, which brings together employers to engage directly with young people through virtual employability workshops and in-person food engineering sessions. Volunteers help translate industry opportunities into something tangible and relevant, giving young people a clearer sense of the roles available and the pathways into them. 

The impact of this early engagement can be significant. Evidence shows that when young people have multiple meaningful encounters with employers, they are far more likely to move into education, employment or training. For businesses, that makes this more than a social good initiative; it is a practical way to strengthen future workforce resilience by building awareness, confidence and connection earlier in the journey. 

Crucially, this activity can now be delivered at scale. Through IGD’s virtual volunteering offer, employees can support young people from anywhere in the UK, removing many of the traditional barriers to volunteering and making it easier for businesses to involve more colleagues more consistently across different locations. It also reflects the evolving nature of work itself, helping young people build confidence in engaging digitally with employers - an increasingly important skill. 

This requires a shift in mindset. Volunteering should not be seen only as a standalone CSR activity, but as part of a wider workforce strategy - one that helps businesses build resilience, improve perceptions of the sector and strengthen future access to talent. 

Why this matters now 

National Volunteers’ Week (1–7 June 2026) provides a timely moment to recognise the contribution of volunteers, but it also highlights a wider opportunity. 

For the food industry, volunteering is a scalable way to respond to a structural workforce challenge - supporting young people while also investing in the future workforce. Without earlier engagement, businesses risk continuing to compete over a shrinking pool of candidates while too many young people remain disconnected from the opportunities the sector can offer. 

The Milburn review sets the direction. It highlights the scale of the challenge and the need for coordinated action. For employers, the question is no longer whether this matters, but how to respond in ways that are practical, visible and sustained. 

Get involved 

Whether through in-person activity or virtual volunteering, every interaction helps build a more connected, inclusive and resilient workforce. 

To find out more about upcoming opportunities this summer, email [email protected].