The consequences of failing to attract and retain the best staff could be “catastrophic” for the fresh produce industry if it does not take action, members of the SCI Horticulture Group were told last week.
Guy Moreton, director of recruitment firm MorePeople, warned that the dwindling numbers of students on horticultural courses and the shortage of high-quality candidates coming into the sector will hold back the industry in the long term.
Employing and retaining the best staff will help companies overcome the economic downturn, he claimed.
Moreton said the impression of horticultural jobs as low paid, physically demanding and involving grubby work has put off potential employees. The high proportion of family businesses suggests to candidates that career progression is limited, he added.
He said: “The horticulture industry is changing and expanding rapidly, but there is a lack of awareness about it as a career choice - the industry does not have a bad images, it has no image.”
Moreton urged the industry to take responsibility for promoting itself as an attractive career. “The government is talking about 5 A DAY and they have ploughed millions into encouraging healthy eating, but they are not spending any money on marketing the industry as a career,” he said. “Where are they going to get the people to keep this going in the future?
“Employers often say their most important asset, but they do not always act that way. You are not going to get good people without paying good money. The industry thinks about costs, but it should be thinking about value,” he explained.
Moreton encouraged every horticultural business to adopt a local school to engage people from an early age and to raise public awareness about forward-thinking projects, such as Thanet Earth.
Hi warning came as members of the SCI Horticulture Group gathered at its ‘Blossoming Success’ celebration last Thursday, to mark six months since its launch. More than 100 members have so far come on board.
Mike Hall, interim chairman, said: “As an organisation, we want to make science more accessible and exciting for young people. At long last, we want to crack the issue of horticulture - or what we believe to be horticulture, from sports turf to postharvest - and we want to show there are opportunities that exist within this sector.
“If ever there was a time and an opportunity for us to make a difference, it is now that the cost of food is soaring and we are getting some balance and structure into government thinking.”
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