Albert Bartlett
You don’t have to be a scientist or an engineer to be a STEM Food and Drink Ambassador – just ask the HR manager who helps children turn potatoes into superheroes!
Fun hands-on challenges are key to Layne White’s success in opening young pupils’ minds to career paths in the industry when they visit Albert Bartlett in Airdrie.
And it’s not just youngsters who are infected by her enthusiasm for the role: there are now 11 other Ambassadors in the ranks, from apprentices to senior managers.
They share an understanding that children are open to new experiences and to the kind of early encouragement that will serve the sector well in years to come.
Layne recalls one boy who attended a visit even though he didn’t think he was very good at science.
“His dad had encouraged him to go along and see. He took part and found it really fun,” she recalls.
“It takes having a go to find that out. At that age they are sponges.
"At school they are learning about these topics but if you make it that bit more interesting, they are more likely to get involved.”
She believes recruitment issues are fuelled by “a lack of understanding about the full variety of jobs there are in food and drink” so Albert Bartlett lays on all kinds of activities for school visits, from using potatoes to power a lightbulb and spud-based logistical challenges to a superhero-based marketing campaign contest.
“When you come back to the office you really feel like you’ve achieved something”
The eye-catching ideas have attracted press interest, greatly expanding the reach of the message.
The blow dealt to that kind of work by the Covid pandemic is something she is particularly keen to work with others to help the sector recover from.
One recent brainwave is the “SepSTEMber” project – a whole month of work encouraging others to sign up as STEM Food and Drink Ambassadors.
It highlights how signing up brings great benefits to today’s workforce, just as much as it does to tomorrow’s.
“By doing things like break-out chats and projects during visits they become more confident in their own roles as leaders,” Layne says.
“When you come back to the office you really feel like you’ve achieved something.
“Sometimes we have been inundated with letters and responses afterwards to say thank you and how much the young people enjoyed it.
"That brings great satisfaction to have made a change to someone’s day.”
What advice would Layne give to others keen to follow her lead and develop a team of Ambassadors in their own workplace?
“Go for it. Grab it by the horns!”
Once colleagues get started, others quickly forget about the concerns that held them back from volunteering, like time pressures, she says.
“A lot of the stuff fits around your day-to-day job and opens lots of other avenues – there’s lots of
benefits to being involved. You just need people who have an enthusiasm, who want to make a difference to young people, who genuinely have an interest in providing a sustainable future for the industry.”
Download the case study as a pdf here
Want more tips and advice on how to recruit, retain and develop your workforce?
Check out Feeding Workforce Skills, an online resource that signposts the relevant support for food & drink employers.