Previous project
Mapping skills needs and supply in the dairy sector
AEDIL successfully applied for EU-funding for a project, which will produce recommendations on how to meet the skills required by the European dairy sector. AEDIL (Association of European Dairy Industry Learning) is a European network of dairy stakeholders in 15 countries.
The project is composed of four major processes:
Development of a framework for research of skills needs and supply in the dairy sector.
Research in 13 countries with interviews of educational institutions, dairies and ex-students.
Analysis and interpretation of the data collected.
Recommendations on how to close the gaps and even out mismatches found in the research.
The project will deliver:
Recommendations on how to close the gap between the educational institutions and the needs of the labour market.
Forecasts on skills needs and trends five years ahead.
A collection of Best Practices on Work Based Learning from the dairy industry.
A long-term benefit is that the industry will have a sufficient workforce with the right competences. Furthermore, AEDIL will be a flagship of effective collaboration between the world of work, science and education for coherency between skills demands and skills supply.
The overall objective of this project is a competitive European dairy sector where the industry and education sector collaborate to meet changing demands and trends.
The immediate objective is to provide the sector with consolidated recommendations on training provision to meet the skills required by the labour market.
Full summary and rationale behind the project
Executive summary
The research targeted the industry was conducted in three specific areas: dairy skills, digital skills and green skills, in addition, future skills were investigated as open questions that mainly gave answers within the areas of management skills and recruitment.
The most significant need which was identified was recruitment with a percentage near to 80 % by the European dairy industry (small, medium and large dairies). This was followed by dairy skill needs with approximately 75 % as second rank, which is significant as there is a tendency in many countries to turn dairy education into general food education with the possibility of specializing in dairy. Other high-ranking skills in demand from the dairy industry are digital skills, business understanding and food safety skills. All with more than 60%.
The above findings are so significant across the dairy industry, that it is vital to improve curricula, adapt current levels and opt for better partnerships between the industry and the educational institutions if the European dairy industry is to keep up with international demands and stay competitive.
Based on the surveys conducted in the EU educational institutions (56), dairy education should remain separate from general food science and/or technology education, and in those countries where there is no specific dairy education, this should be reevaluated.
Hard copy
If you wish to receive the report in hard copy, please make your request to Project Coordinator Isabel Sande Frandsen at [email protected]. Please be informed that the report will be made available shortly in the following languages: