More needs to be done to attract newcomers to industry

With labour shortages being a growing concern, TIAH commissioned a major piece of research with Family Kids & Youth Market Research and Consultancy earlier this year. The aim was to understand the main barriers preventing newcomers from following a career in agriculture and horticulture.

Alongside industry, TIAH will now use the findings and broader evidence to develop an action plan that will increase engagement with young people and those who influence their career decisions.

Dr. Barbie Clarke, chief executive of Family Kids & Youth, explains that 14 focus groups were undertaken, including young people, careers teachers, and teachers of 14+. In addition, a nationally representative sample of children and young people, career switchers, parents, and grandparents from England were interviewed during the research process.

“The results highlight a low level of awareness of the farming sector at home, in schools, and among career switchers,” says Dr. Clarke. “Young people are therefore not generally considering working in agriculture and horticulture as a future career.

“In addition, the perception of the sector is somewhat dated. There's also very little understanding of the modern farming and growing sectors and the breadth of existing job opportunities,” she explains.

“The results from the research suggest that this is probably driven by limited knowledge and coverage within the school curriculum, a lack of contact from the sector with schools, and a sometimes-confusing representation in the media.”

However, Dr. Clarke points out that young people showed plenty of enthusiasm for the sector once they began to understand what farming was really like. TIAH Consultation Group Chair Lord Curry says that as an industry, we need to capitalise on the enthusiasm shown.

“A lot of these findings reaffirm what the industry already knows. However, for me, what really hit home from this research is the fact that despite the fantastic efforts of existing schemes already working in schools, the perception of the industry is not changing,” explains Lord Curry.

“I was particularly disappointed by the lack of awareness of agriculture and horticulture among secondary school aged children and those likely to influence their career choices. I personally believe that this is where we must intensify our efforts.

“As an industry, we must come together and act now if we're to encourage bright young people to the sector. We need to renew and refocus our efforts and find ways to break down the barriers to attract a diverse range of people to meet the industry’s future needs.”

Lord Curry explains that as a next step, TIAH will host a roundtable discussion at the House of Lords in the Autumn.

“We aim to bring together various organisations from across the industry to discuss the findings in more detail and start to develop an action plan in terms of future engagement with young people and those who influence their career decisions.”

The full summary report is available to download here.