There is a clear need to change third-level curriculums for graduates entering the food industry, a leading academic has said.
Dr Daniel O'Hare, who is chairman of the expert group on future skill needs of industry, was speaking at the publication of its report, Demand and Supply of Skills in the Food-Processing Sector.
He said the food industry was a key area of the Irish economy, with a gross output estimated at more than €15 billion, direct employment of 47,000 and a further 280,000 employed indirectly on farms, sub-supply industries, and ancillary services.
The sector was experiencing unprecedented levels of change so how education institutions, and training and State support organisations responded would be central to the future vibrancy and success of the sector, Dr O'Hare said.
"At this point there are no indications that there is a need to increase the overall number of graduates coming into the food sector.
"However, there are clear indications of a need to review and rebalance the content of third-level curriculums relating to the sector," he said.
The report indicated that while there were high-profile best-practice firms, the food-processing sector in Ireland was characterised in general by a deficit in strategic planning, and human resource planning in particular. It found there was evidence of this not only in the curriculums at third level, but also in on-the-job training.
The report established that almost 80 per cent of the approximately 400 courses identified were in the areas of food hygiene and food safety.
While these were areas of significant importance, the low incidence of training in strategically important areas such as new product development, operations management and customer relationship management meant there would have to be a change in focus, in employee training as well as at third-level, to meet the oncoming challenges in the marketplace.
It recommended the establishment of a national innovation in education exchange. This would provide a forum for developing curriculums specific to food industry-related course programmes; improving student placement arrangements and generally building a positive image of the sector among potential employees.