The Grocer launches guide to graduate careers and vacancies

The Grocer, the publication for the food and drink industry, in association with leading industry body the IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution), has launched a guide to careers and vacancies for graduates.

The food and drink industry is Britainís second largest, accounting for 12% of employment and 14% of GDP. However, research among University careers offices and employers showed that among recent graduates there was a widespread lack of knowledge about the industry and careers within it. Those with a mind to find out more about the exciting opportunities available would be forced to turn to a number of different sources, and still have an incomplete picture.

Careers in Food And Drink is a combined directory and web product. It aims to encourage talent into the industry and will be dedicated to promoting careers, tackling the negative stereotyping that sometimes affect the industryís image, and seeking to broaden studentsí understanding of what the industry has to offer.

The directory will reveal that far from working long hours for low pay, graduate entrants can expect a wide variety of challenges and be earning as much as 50,000 within 2 years. Graduate jobs and placements from the industryís employers will be posted on www.careersinfoodanddrink.co.uk, the first graduate jobsite dedicated to the food and drink industry, which will be launched simultaneously with the directory.

Careers Services at Universities throughout the UK have greeted this new development enthusiastically. John Franks from the University of Hull says: ìAs the Head of a University Careers Service I welcome this initiative and wish it every success. There is a dearth of information on this very important industrial sector and I very much hope that the proposed publication will be the precursor of more initiatives. There is a clear need to bring focus into the tremendous opportunities that exist in the Food and Drink Industry, one of the most highly developed and complex sectors, yet one so often overlooked by students and graduates seeking careers that offer exciting challenges and long term prospects for a successful management career. I feel sure that University Careers Services will willingly involve themselves with this initiative and become effective partners in its implementation and development.î

The publication ëCareers in Food and Drinkí will be distributed through careers offices and will be free to students. It will case-study graduates successfully employed within manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, sales, retail, food service and the licensed trade, enabling students to learn more about the food and drink industry and the opportunities that it offers. It will also offer advice on methods of entry, benefits and information on employers. To view the latest vacancies within the industry students will be encouraged to look at the website.