Many technical professions are undergoing a significant “graying” of their populations, with insufficient numbers of young people entering these fields to replace those who have retired or wish to retire soon. The conformity assessment industry is no different in this regard, and dedicated programs are needed to fill the gaps that are appearing for management system auditing positions. The need for food safety auditors is particularly acute given the importance of this role in supporting the safety of the world’s food supply chain.
Educators at all levels have a critical role to play in helping children and young adults understand the excellent career opportunities to be found in the food industry in general, and the auditing of food safety management systems specifically.
Clint Stevenson, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University, is one such educator who is making a difference in nurturing the next generation of food safety professionals.
“My family exposed me to agriculture from a young age, and I got my bachelor’s degree in food science at the University of Idaho,” Stevenson begins. “As I began my career, I took positions in food safety, quality assurance, and product development. Early on, I identified that I wanted to become a professor focusing on workforce development, getting people excited to these careers. It was clear to me that we as an industry have to do a better job of promoting people to go into factory settings, whether they’re going to be working in the factory, running a quality or food safety program, or doing the auditing of those facilities or the regulatory inspections.”
Different routes into the industry
Despite his status as a professor at a highly respected institution of higher learning, Stevenson recognizes the importance of multiple routes into the industry aside from four-year universities.
“For many kids, going straight from high school to an industrial career works great,” says Stevenson. “We’re doing a lot of outreach with high school teachers to promote food science and have trained about 50 of them on a food science curriculum. We then connect them with local employers so the teacher can job-shadow that employer and develop focused lesson plans promoting food safety careers. So, when the kids are in the classroom, they’re learning in the context of the actual work being done by nearby employers. Jobs like mixing up sanitation chemicals, putting food on a conveyor belt, health and safety—all of those jobs have food safety written into them. There’s a clear pathway. If a high schooler learns about this and wants to get a good paying job right away, that opportunity is there for them.
“There are also some amazing things going on through community college pathways and apprenticeship programs,” he continues. “Here in our area, the Guilford Community College offers an apprenticeship program in food safety, working in conjunction with a local ingredients manufacturer. As soon as someone graduates high school, they can get a job working at the company while taking classes at the community college, learning about food science, safety, and processes. The manufacturer covers the books and tuition and gives them practical experience. Within four years they can enjoy a great-paying job, and they have the competencies to join us at NC State to get even more education to support their career growth.”
Of course, Stevenson’s primary endeavor is educating young adults this his program at North Carolina State University.
“In my classes, I equip these students with more complex education on food safety elements such as preventive controls. Qualified individuals can earn their HACCP certificate among other credentials. We’re exposing them to some of the behind-the-scenes implementation of food safety, where we’re considering trends in sanitation or environmental monitoring. We are also applying statistical process control to achieve stricter quality control.”
Auditing and other opportunities
Professor Stevenson’s own career journey hints at some of the great opportunities that await dedicated students and young professionals as they begin their food safety careers.
“I took a sabbatical last year,” he says. “I wanted to get my boots back on the ground, so I worked with a lot of companies helping them get ready for their third-party audits. I also began my journey toward becoming an SQF auditor myself, and I have more than 40 hours of auditing experience now. I’m also really excited about the new Certified SQF Practitioner Credential, which just adds more opportunity for people in our field.
“Through those experiences, and the ones earlier in my career, I’ve noticed that it’s rare to find a facility where everyone, by training, by background, by college degree, has the full gamut of expertise that you would expect. We’re all still learning and growing,”
Professor Stevenson is optimistic about the future of the food safety workforce because he’s seen it in his own life as well as the growing interest from the young people he works with regularly.
“Here at NC State, we are seeing that students are excited about these food science careers, which is great. We need people in operations and product development, too. Some of these folks may eventually go into third-party auditing, which is a great career. They could go into the regulatory space. The options are limitless. These careers offer good salaries and good work-life balances, depending on how you play your cards.
“I’ve been doing this work for 13 years now, and I’m excited for the future. Now that I’m back from my sabbatical, I’m already doing things differently in how I help to groom the next generation of food safety professionals.”