Feeding Britain’s Future

Around one million young people are currently NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), and many leave education without the skills, confidence or awareness of career opportunities needed to enter the workforce.

Feeding Britain’s Future is the food and drink industry’s movement, in partnership with IGD, to build a skilled and future-ready workforce. Its ambition is to engage every UK secondary school by 2030, reduce NEET numbers and inspire the next generation to pursue careers across the food system.

Through school workshops, work experience, careers support and learning opportunities, the movement helps young people explore careers in food and drink while bringing businesses together to drive lasting change.

Employers are facing shortages ​in the skills needed to transform and future proof the UK food system. Read more about the full extent of the workforce challenges faced by our industry in our report A Quiet Crisis.

The food industry needs a collective effort ​to encourage and support young people ​to pursue opportunities in the sector.

Feeding Britain’s Future aims to tackle workforce challenges.

It brings employers, educators and communities together to unlock confidence and aspiration for young people while strengthening the resilience ​of the UK food system.

It is about creating opportunities that help young people build ​the essential confidence and employability skills and understanding of the industry, ​while helping employers to find and ​develop future talent.

By 2030, we aim to build a confident, skilled, future‑ready workforce and position the sector as a modern, purpose‑driven career choice for young people.

This movement focuses on three pillars:

• Attract – raising awareness among young people of the breadth of career opportunities in our sector

• Develop – strengthening learning and skills development to grow the talent pipeline

• Thrive – creating workplaces where everyone feels represented, supported and able to thrive

Together we will unlock confidence, aspiration and opportunity for every young person, and secure the future of a sector that touches every household, every day.

We will help young people build skills and discover opportunities across the food industry through:

• School and early careers learning programmes

• Work experience and university partnerships

• Careers services and industry wide campaigns

We invite organisations across the UK food system to join a coordinated, sector wide effort. Every employer, large or small, has a role to play.