Oddly, I felt nervous on my way to the first conference for young people in the fruit and vegetable business, Fresh Inspirations, last month. Like the organisers, 15 industry mentors and 11 big name speakers - including Tesco’s Matt Simister, Professor David Hughes and Innocent Drinks’ Rozanne Davis - giving their time, I really wanted this to work.
It has been clear the fresh produce industry needs to take the time to put the right people in place to guide a new generation, which is low on the ground at best. But, as many will sympathise, in such a fast-paced environment it can be hard to come out of the everyday business and take more of a long-term view. Basically, I was scared no one was going to show up. And then, the very definition of ‘young’ comes into question. It’s no secret that the experience and skill within the sector throughout its various avenues are contained mostly in the over-50 age range and that encouragement, through education, career fairs, apprenticeship schemes and the like, has been minimal over the years. At 30, I’m mostly considered a spring chicken in fresh produce circles. This suits my ego, but it’s not exactly true, is it? So, I was also scared that everyone would, in fact, be over 50, with a couple of 40-something “youngsters” mixed in for good measure.
As it turned out, many young people felt the same. And more than 150 men and women rocked up to the Huntington Marriot ready to learn and be heard. Although audience interaction was low, the more informal ‘Think Development’ session sandwiched between a look at global trends and innovation was a real hit. Jennifer Baker, director of Baker Coaching, took the room and their mentors - one on each table - through how to set goals and go about achieving them. Most people walked out of the conference having identified three actions and three resources that would allow them to make that action. From this a LinkedIn forum was set up online to offer continued support. Being confident in networking was also a focus, with tips and hints given.
Having success on their hands, the organisers are now busy looking to next year’s event and it’s obvious that young people need to be inspired and encouraged to stand on their own two feet in the industry. So many times, people have said to me that they feel overwhelmed by the wealth of experience that surrounds them, to the extent that they don’t feel confident enough to join in a conversation or feel their input isn’t needed. They need to get used to speaking out and make those connections that will stand them in good stead for their future career. The industry as a whole must make sure its younger employees get involved because, one thing’s for certain, the next Sarah Dawson and Laurence Olins have to come from somewhere. -
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