I Need to Know More About The Food Industry Before I Can Commit

I received this email a few weeks back from Yasmin;

I’m a recent BSc. Food Science and Technology graduate and I live in London, Ontario. I am willing to travel to the GTA. I have been looking into working in food R&D for about 10 years now because I like solving people’s food problems. However, I am finding it hard to network and get inside information about working in the food industry.

I am considering doing an MSc. in Food Science at University of Guelph but I want to be sure that this is really what I would like to do before making such a huge commitment. I am really happy for your response and thank you for being willing to reach into your network.

Of course I was willing!

After putting the request out to my network, several companies reached out with offers to help.  We took Ferrero up on their kind offer (how could we refuse chocolate!)

The day was a big success.  I wanted to hear from both the team at Ferrero and Yasmin so I could share the experience with other Food Grads.  Here goes;

Yasmin Thoughts….

I asked her what her first impression was upon entering the facility and she said

What surprised me the most upon visiting the facility was how bright and modern the place was when I stepped inside.

Also, “I didn’t know all the different career options in the food industry. I knew about the ones commonly advertised online such as QA (tech, supervisor, manager), R&D (tech, manager), line packers/workers, production supervisor/manager but that’s about it”.

I didn’t know about all the other positions behind the scenes that ensure a consistent or improved continuous flow of the product on the line.  I certainly didn’t know about management graduate programs.

Yasmin said that based on what she knows now she feels there is a lack of information for young people who are undecided about their career path in Food & Beverage.

(Side note, Veronica, our FoodGrads Career Partner/Campus Ambassador and YouTube Manager said exactly the same thing, as she creates content she finds it very difficult to find the information she needs, so we are thrilled FoodGrads is filling that gap).

I asked Yasmin–based on her visit–if her interest in a career in food has increased?  She replied “I would say that I’m even more determined, I’ve had my heart set on the food & beverage industry for many years now”.  She went on to say “The long term impact I want to make is to make everyone’s–especially those with special dietary needs–lives easier, healthier and more environmental by offering products that accomplish these goals.

In 5 years, I see myself working for a company doing just that!

Ferrero’s Feedback

Ferrero recognises the importance of encouraging and supporting learning initiatives. So when they saw Yasmin’s post on FoodGrads, they were more than happy to invite her to the Ferrero Brantford facility to give her an overview of the company, products and people.

I asked if they hire students and grads often, the response was a resounding yes!

Ferrero is a global organization that welcomes a diverse range of talented professionals into their extended family. Students and recent graduates have a variety of opportunities ranging from internships, co-ops and specialized programs.

We are proud of our Industrial Graduate Program and the Ferrero Global Graduate Program (FGGP) which are specifically designed for recent graduates. The Industrial Graduate program is a two-year international program aimed to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills that are essential to operations roles within our Production, Technology or Maintenance departments.

The program challenges the graduates with a mixture of international assignments, on-the-job learning, specialist technical training and management training.  The Ferrero Global Graduate program (FGGP) a 10-month program for newly hired graduates with the objective to ensure that they start their professional life in the right way and integrate smoothly in the company.

Participants will experience the corporate culture and values, gain specific soft skills that can be used in daily business and build a strong and diverse network across countries. The program follows an interactive blended learning approach and includes classroom training, placements, online modules, e-learning and business simulations.

I asked them to address Yasmins’ (and others) view that there is not enough information readily available about the different career options in food, they agreed adding;

Many students are not aware of the multitude of career options in the Food Industry.  That is why it is vital to provide students with as much information as possible. We try to do this by participating in information sessions at local universities and having representatives from different departments attend.

The key is to educate and expose students to different career possibilities.

Not only does this encourage students to continue their studies but also provides employers and companies with a strong talent pipeline allowing for a more competitive and sustainable advantage.

Why Choose a Career in Food?

Who wouldn’t want to work with chocolate?

In all seriousness, the Food Industry is a fast paced environment with a lot of unique technology. There are numerous job opportunities and employees in the food industry are constantly learning. Not only do you get to work in a safe and clean environment but you also see the impact you make with the products you produce.

At Ferrero we are happy to see our consumer’s continued faith in our products through their everyday purchases and the memories they share when they enjoy our products.

Ferrero left us with this one piece of advice for students and grads….

Be open to different opportunities and have a strong desire to learn!

Thanks Yasmin for giving FoodGrads the opportunity to support you and a BIG Thank You to Ferrero for opening their doors and providing such invaluable insight and experience!

*Note: the FGGP program is only for internal employees and they only recruit externally for the Industrial Graduate Program.