October 08, 2026 - 190 views
Young people across North Wales are being encouraged to consider careers in food and drink, with a new guide highlighting the wide range of jobs available in a sector that plays an important role in the economy of the North Wales coast.
More than 200 secondary schools across Wales have received a new careers booklet designed to show students that opportunities in food and drink extend far beyond the traditional roles they may immediately think of.
A Quick Guide to Careers in Food & Drink has been produced by the Welsh Government's Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales programme.
For communities along the North Wales coast, the sector is particularly significant because of its close links with tourism and hospitality.
Hotels, restaurants, cafés, pubs, visitor attractions, food producers, catering businesses and retailers all contribute to the coastal economy and provide employment for people across communities from Conwy and Llandudno through Colwyn Bay, Rhyl and along the North Wales coast.
The sector also provides employment beyond the customer-facing roles most visible to the public, with opportunities in areas including food production, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, science, technology, business and sustainability.
That range of careers is one of the messages behind the new guide, which aims to help young people understand the different routes available into the industry.
The publication covers areas including engineering, food science, manufacturing, business and sustainability, culinary and hospitality, and agriculture and food production.
It also explains the qualifications, skills and experience employers are looking for and outlines different routes into the sector, including apprenticeships, vocational qualifications and university study.
The guide has been compiled by Lloyd Henry, a food technology teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr.
He said he had seen first-hand how interested young people could be in food and drink while often having limited awareness of the breadth of careers available.
The guide is intended to give pupils, parents and teachers a clearer picture of those opportunities and the different ways of entering the industry.
That could be particularly relevant to young people in North Wales, where the visitor economy creates a strong demand for workers across hospitality and food services.
Tourism is an important part of the economy of the North Wales coast, with visitors supporting businesses ranging from accommodation providers and restaurants to cafés, pubs and attractions.
Food and drink also connects the tourism economy with local producers and manufacturers, creating employment away from the frontline hospitality roles that visitors see.
Melanie Cargill, Welsh Government Food & Drink Skills Wales Programme Manager, said the guide had been created to demonstrate the breadth of opportunities available and the different routes into a career.
She said the sector offered opportunities for people interested in science, engineering, product development and business as well as those pursuing culinary and hospitality careers.
The guide has been distributed directly to secondary schools and schools are being encouraged to make it available through libraries, careers hubs and other areas used by students.
The Food & Drink Skills Wales programme also provides free careers resources and engagement activities for schools.
The aim is to encourage young people to look at food and drink not simply as a source of part-time or seasonal work, but as a sector offering opportunities for long-term careers, training and progression across North Wales and the rest of Wales.
