Throughout the year, the SLFEZ establishments have opened their doors to local school students between the ages of 14 to 18. These one-day taster sessions, made possible through funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), gave youngsters a chance to understand career prospects in the food industry both locally and nationally. One student who took part, Sophia Jones, said ‘it opened my eyes to different opportunities available to me’. Like Sophia, many young people don’t necessarily know that jobs and apprenticeship routes are available on their doorstop, so these sessions gave an insight to the possibilities and the exciting activities that take place.

Students were able to get involved and work collaboratively with food science benchmarking, marshmallow vacuum pump experiments, sensory testing with baked beans, and enzymatic browning, using the University of Lincolns state of the art laboratories at the Centre of Excellence in Holbeach. The activities were thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially with the exploding marshmallows and learning how science is used to adapt the food and drink products we use in our everyday life. Charlie May added how it was ‘fun to learn. A unique day, much better than I could have anticipated’. 

In addition, students were invited to the National Centre for Food Manufacturing’s purpose-built factory, where they were able to understand engineering functions such as robotic applications and demonstrations with support from OAL, which will be seen increasingly being used in the food manufacturing industry. They were able to meet the in-house robots who showed off their capabilities and was given an insight into extrusion cooking, which is playing a pivotal role in developing the next generation of foods needed to sustain a growing population.

Guest speakers from local businesses Winyard Engineering, Burgess Farm and Bakkavor gave their time to discuss career pathways and insights to their functions, and SLFEZ tenants, AJS Automation, offered a tour of their facilities to showcase their work. Student Shaun Jackson commented that the day was ‘interesting and helped me understand different avenues into food manufacturing. An engaging day through learning by doing’. All students who took part received a certificate of attendance, which will aid their CV’s and applications to any future job or University applications.

Schools who have engaged include University Academy Holbeach, University Academy Long Sutton and Boston Grammar school, and with additional funding, we are able to extend the opportunity to schools in East Lindsey. Head of Sixth Form at UAH, Gemma Evans said they ‘had a great time and it was so useful to the students. They came back raving about their day. It was really useful for them to see the industry standard facilities in how quality is managed’ and thanked the team for ‘giving them this unique experience’. 

If you work in education and think this will benefit your students, please get in touch by emailing chall@lincoln.ac.uk. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for updates and opportunities!