Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) chief executive officer, Ian Stevenson, has highlighted the growing number of career development opportunities that the local agri-food sector is now offering.
Stevenson said: “This potential is set to grow significantly. The red meat sector is a case in point. Agri-food is set to expand further over the coming years. This fact alone will require companies operating within the sector to increase the scope of their employment base.
“But adding to this challenge is the fact that Brexit may make it harder for indigenous businesses to source the competencies they need from abroad. In turn, this will put a greater focus on the need to recruit locally.”
Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry turns over more than £4.5 billion every year, and Stevenson believes there are a number of career opportunities in the growing red meat industry.
“Northern Ireland is home to a selection of the EU’s largest beef and lamb processers. All these companies have put in place rewarding development pathways for young people with the widest possible range of skill sets,” added Stevenson.
"It is re-assuring to know that the future of farming and food on this island is in safe hands.”
“It’s up to teachers and parents to sow the seeds with children, encouraging them to assess the tremendous life-changing opportunities, which Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry can offer.”
“I recently had the opportunity of attending the 2020 Great Agri-Food Debate in a judging capacity. Hosted by Queen’s University Belfast and sponsored by Dawn Meats, the event provided teams from six of Ireland’s leading third level colleges to debate a range of issues that go to the very heart of the challenges now facing our farming and food sectors.
“To say that I was impressed with the communication skills demonstrated by all those taking part would be an understatement. It is re-assuring to know that the future of farming and food on this island is in safe hands.”
Ian Stevenson made these comments in the run-up to the ‘Focus on Agri-Food, CAFRE Careers Fare’ taking place on Wednesday, 4th March at the college’s Loughry campus. The aim of the event is to raise the profile of the agri-food industry and to highlight the vast range of careers that are open to students studying at both Loughry and Greenmount.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
