Abstract
The qualifications of Food Science and Technology/Engineering (FST/E) professionals were examined by a web-based survey conducted in 15 countries (14 EU and Turkey). The analysis of the responses showed that 65% of the respondents had a higher education (HE) degree (BSc 29%, MSc 28%, and PhD 8%), and 20% carried out extracurricular training before entering in the job market. The main fields of study were Food Science and Technology/Engineering, followed by Agriculture, Nutrition and Health, Safety/Hygiene, and Chemical Engineering in all three levels of HE degrees. Differences in the level of degree between genders were not observed, although a higher percentage of female respondents (36% of all female respondents) reported no higher qualification degree, compared to male respondents (33% of all male respondents). On the contrary, female respondents prevailed in extracurricular studies, compared to male ones. Gender, however, was a differentiating factor as far as the field of studies was concerned with female respondents prevailing in Nutrition and Health and male in Agriculture.A considerable percentage of the respondents acquired either a ΗΕ degree or had extracurricular training while working in the 1st job. Extracurricular training both before entering the job market and during work at the 1st workplace comprised mainly the topics Safety and Hygiene, Management, followed by Sensory Science, FST/E and Nutrition and Health. In addition, Marketing Science/Consumer Behaviour was also one of the main topics of company or other training during work at the 1st workplace.
Highlights
Higher Education study programmes in the field of Food Science, Engineering and Technology present great variations in EU countries
The present paper will present and discuss the results of a survey conducted under the TRACK FAST project about the qualifications of the Food science and technology (FST) professionals at the entrance of the job market and how it affects their placement in work, in terms of the area of placement and sector of activity
This can be explained by the fact that computer-literacy is higher among the younger generations of professionals, and they are more likely to respond to the questions of such type of survey; the older generation of food professionals could have limited time or be less attracted to respond to the questionnaires due to their likely more demanding job positions. due to the age profile of the respondents, most of the collected information was related to the last 10-15 years and reflected the more recent and current status of education degree and entrance to work
Summary
Higher Education study programmes in the field of Food Science, Engineering and Technology present great variations in EU countries. In more recent times, disciplines like Nutrition, Safety and Hygiene, etc., have been included in some Food study programmes as well as in the corresponding degree title for the graduates These changes are a result of the demands of the food sector, and especially of the Food and Drink (F&D) industry to employ graduates who are highly qualified in all the specific topics related to food. While the quality and safety of food products remains a main issue, the demand for highly qualified personnel arises from the need of the EU F&D industry to implement innovation and increase competitiveness against emerging economies (Jassi et al, 2013) This has been shown by the study of Flynn, Wahnstrom, Popa, Ruiz-Bejarano, and Quintas (2013) who carried out a survey to identify the ideal skills of the Food Science and Technology professionals from the employers’ point of view, which revealed that they ranked “Product Development” in the top position. The survey was conducted through a web-based questionnaire that was distributed within 15 EU and associated countries to FST professionals in the food sector
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