The debate around the qualifications spectrum that relate to job descriptions and key performance areas based in the food industry has created areas for concern and confusion in a number of different quarters. The latter includes academics involved in training students, personnel involved in doing academic or commercial placement, the industries looking to employ such graduates and also in the minds of graduates from a range of different yet related disciplines.
This specifically refers to the following academic disciplines: food technology, food science, consumer science (food and nutrition), dietetics, biotechnology and others such as food and beverage management, nutrition and cookery (Chef), the latter three of which will not be discussed further here. The remaining former disciplines mentioned are to a greater or lesser degree perceived differently, or incorrectly, by many of the stakeholders involved.
There are four main groups of stakeholders in this debate:
An informal survey of the industry conducted in 2007 by means of an e-mail poll posed the question to industry in terms of their own understanding of the disciplines referred to in paragraph two in this article. A follow-up poll was conducted in the week preceding the publication of this article, both as a follow-up and also as a response to an invitation to submit this for publication.
The results show that there is a disconcerting degree of misconception and under-appreciation of the unique qualities of each qualification and its graduates. This is proven in the range of qualified persons employed in positions that one would normally reserve for another specific qualification or person (this again is an informal observation that increasingly is becoming more prevalent but unfortunately does not have any scientific basis in terms of quantitative research). In addition, the degree of confusion or misunderstanding of these qualifications and graduates is evident in both middle and more senior management.
The bottom line is that, due to the nature and number of employment opportunities generally, and in the food industry specifically, there appears to be a trend towards employing a range of graduates in the position of a food technologist in specific industries. This is based on a number of suppositions from the employer, the placing agency and the student involved.
Smaller companies with their own limited resources often neither have the knowledge nor the time to fully interrogate the person they are employing in a specific position. Other companies may have the resources but not the inclination to interrogate this based on the urgencies of their own requirements. In addition, placement agencies and prospective employees themselves may also sit with a concern or question in their own heads about where best to be placed. And then finally, which in our opinion is the smallest segment of this possible ‘mis-employment’ of graduates, is the ‘need to be placed’, both from a prospective employee and a placement agency perspective.
The following definitions are provided that could assist the basis for employing a graduate (note that this is a summary/extract from different sources and may not be complete):
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· Food technologist
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Mmaster the scientific study of the large-scale production and preservation of foods as well as the development and analysis of foodstuffs in industrial food processing facilities. Their primary focus is acquiring practical skills, which, together with the underpinning scientific principles, enable them to be operationally productive in their various roles* in the food industry. *Food technologists are involved in the following areas of food manufacture: quality assurance, processing technology, chemistry and microbiology. In addition, they are trained to ensure that both legal and industrial food standards are monitored and maintained prior to marketing. They are also part of research teams and have to solve technical problems when raw materials are converted to preserved foods in factories. |
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· Food scientist
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They are equipped with graduate level knowledge of the field of food science and technology as well as the skills to understand and apply the concept of food science and technology i.e. the understanding and application of science to satisfy the needs of society for sustainable food quality, safety and security. Food scientists are also equipped with skills to pursue scholarly activity, i.e. insight to develop as food science researchers. Their primary focus is acquiring scientific knowledge. Supported by relevant practical skills, the graduate acquires a good general and scientific background of sufficient depth and latitude to enable the graduate to practice as a competent food and beverage scientist. |
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· Consumer scientist (Food and nutrition) |
Has the background to be employed as a specialist trained in fresh convenience food and its small-scale production as well as styling and photography regarding foods. It further prepares a graduate to assist with the safe packaging of food products and also the selection of appropriate ingredients for these products. This also includes writing food-related articles and also to follow food trends and consumer demands. Higher levels of study build on this, including elements of nutrition and fresh food production. |
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· Biotechnologist |
Biotechnologists are competent to apply theoretical and practical fundamental knowledge and skills in the fields of microbial biochemistry, molecular biology, fermentation technology and bioprocessing to the relevant biotechnology industries** and research institutions. **These include: bioprocessing/biomanufacturing industry, food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry, pulp and paper industry, wastewater treatment plants, agriculture and forestry, research institutions, academic institutions, research councils and government departments. |
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· Dietician |
Delivers graduates who are at least registered at the Health Professions Council of South Africa as dieticians in line with the scope of practice (therapeutic nutrition, community nutrition and food service management) outlined in Act 56 (1974) and who can demonstrate in the contexts of institutions, private practice and communities the ability to perform nutritional assessments, analyse nutritional manifestations in order to determine the causes thereof , plan, implement and evaluate nutrition interventions, education and programmes and manage food and nutrition for individuals and groups.3 |
In actual fact, all of the above fields of study and qualification overlap in many different ways and many different degrees. This points to the fact that, given sufficient experience and later cross-pollination in the specific field of employment, a consumer scientist may be employed in the grey area (and beyond) between a newly qualified food technologist and a newly-qualified consumer scientist. The same holds for a food scientist and a biotechnologist. This then holds as well for the other fields referred to in the previous paragraph (and their own specific permutations of overlap and cross-field training).
At the end of the day, it would not be acceptable to allow a student (or industry) to labor under the misconception of where they would be seeking primary employment and with whom they would be competing for such employment. As tertiary training institutions there should be a clear understanding and agreement in this regard, something of which there largely is. Our concern is around the industry’s understanding of this situation as well as that of the newly-graduating student. Let’s not de-value our graduates. Let’s rather ensure their understanding of their role and huge potential in this industry, especially in their formative years.
It may be that a more quantitative study needs to be conducted to determine the perceptions of each of these graduate typologies and then to use this to devise a campaign to ensure the proper understanding and context of each one. Beside the personal impacts and ramifications of this confusion, there are economic impacts as well. The latest draft of the Industrial Policy Action Plan 2011/12 – 2013/14 of the Department of Trade & Industry (February 2011) clearly indicates the shortage of specific skills and the need to train more personnel to fill these gaps. Let’s not fill round gaps with the wrong ‘shape’ of graduates.
However, this is a free market and, as new graduates, how they sell themselves and how they satisfy their job requirements may totally confound the concerns and issues raised here. If so, and if we are allowed to borrow a phrase: Mayenzeke! (Make it happen!)
