Luckily for the food industry, even in times of a recession, people still need to eat. We may change our diet somewhat, but we will continue to buy food. This is obviously good news for us as the food industry will continue to employ graduates.
The Guardian on Thursday published an interesting article, Graduates who have studied abroad more appealing to businesses, and would be curious to know how relevant food professionals, and graduates of food related courses, feel this is to our industry.
The article tells us that international businesses are increasingly seeking graduates who have a global awareness, particularly those who have the initiative to study overseas as part of their learning. Britain is home to people from many different cultures and nationalities, so should our food industry graduates, even those who plan to take up a career at home, be more culturally aware?
What benefits would the food industry gain if students undertook a period of study, or work experience, abroad? As always, we'd love to hear your views...
I studied abroad and even did an exchange with an academic institution in Scotland. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything: I've gained life skills that are relevant and transferable. At the same time however, I can't say that they've made me more appealing to employers. This could be because employers, or people in management themselves do not appreciate the real value of employing an individual from a different culture and/or someone who has studied and has international experience.