Allan Jess
As if gaining a unique double perspective on workforce development was not enough, meat-producer-turned-recruiter Allan Jess now has yet another angle on his impressive CV after signing up to be a STEM Food and Drink Ambassador.
At an age when his friends were focused on what subjects to study at school, he was already throwing himself into the world of work within his family’s meat-processing firm AP Jess.
Soon he was immersed in many different parts of the award-winning operation, including production, procurement and sales of everything from burgers and sausages to haggis and pakoras, in a career spanning well over a decade.
It was an experience that really opened Allan’s eyes to the wide range of skills the sector needs to flourish.
And, just as importantly, to the limited flow of young people coming out of schools and universities with the qualifications he was looking for.
So when a 2017 factory fire led him to switch to a career in food and drink industry recruitment, he was perfectly placed to help deal with those familiar challenges.
Adding STEM Food and Drink Ambassador to the impressive list of feathers in his cap is something he is convinced can make a difference.
“When you do these subjects at school, you can be very focused on what the actual subjects are and how you do them, as opposed to actually thinking about where they can take you in the real world”
“It’s something as a business that we are really keen to be involved in,” he says – pointing to colleagues at all levels within the Eden Scott agency who are involved with the scheme or plan to sign up.
“Food and drink is such a great industry but it is obviously struggling for staff at the moment and I am really keen to try to encourage more people to take a route into food and drink because the opportunities are pretty much endless.
“When you do these subjects at school, you can be very focused on what the actual subjects are and how you do them, as opposed to actually thinking about where they can take you in the real world. I don’t think that is always communicated enough.”
Among the key messages he hopes to push as an ambassador is the sustainability of careers in a sector that accounts for a huge proportion of Scotland’s exports and offers good financial rewards.
“We’re never going to get to a point where we don’t need to eat. It’s probably one of the safest industries there is. There will always be jobs.”
Allan sees pupils in the early stages of secondary school as the most likely to benefit from STEM Food and Drink Ambassadors’ advice, “when people start to be much more aware of where their food comes from and the work that goes into it – at the same time as they are getting a bigger focus on maths and science and wondering what they can do with that”.
And he is keen that young people who struggle to see past more traditionally lucrative career paths are given a very clear message: “The rewards can be just as good in food and drink if you stick in and work hard and you go far.”
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.