Inspiring young people about the food and drink industry
Partner: Thatchers Cider
Based: Sandford, Somerset
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Thatchers is a family owned business that has been making cider at Myrtle Farm since 1904 and now exports to 22 countries.
Making and selling cider requires a wide variety of skills – from horticulture to microbiology, engineering to marketing. Thatchers is determined to inspire young people about the skills needed for food and drink production - from primary school to entering the workforce.
Pip’s adventure engages primary school pupils with the growth of an apple from pip to harvest, helping them to understand the source of the food we eat as part of the curriculum. As students move through secondary school Thatchers engages with local careers fairs and hosts its own Thatchers open day. To date Thatchers resources have reached over 10,000 students, instilling knowledge of food production into the next generation.
This sets a strong platform for Thatchers to secure high quality candidates for its Young Talent Programme. This offers opportunities within Thatchers’ Cider, Chef and Brand academies. Successful candidates learn about all aspects of Thatchers’ business before focussing on their academy path, with opportunities for further specialism as they progress.
Emma Cox, Talent Development Manager at Thatchers explains the importance of this outreach work to the business: ‘Providing career opportunities to local young people is very important to us as a business, as apprenticeship providers we take every opportunity to engage with education providers to inspire and inform young people on the career opportunities in the industry and apprenticeships’.
Molly O’Flaherty a current Thatchers Young Talent participant working within the brand academy outlines how she is benefitting from the programme: ‘I left school at year 11 as I knew I wanted to go straight into a company to gain a career as an apprentice. The brand academy has allowed me to explore the variety of roles in the commercial side of the business, I am now working within marketing as that was an area that I found suited my strengths and skills. Being an apprentice has given me amazing opportunities I never thought I would have within a year of leaving school’.
For more information about the Thatchers Young Talent Programme, visit the website here >
