Edible Horticulture Sector Skills Survey

AHDB is seeking quotes from professional survey providers to undertake a detailed skills survey to ascertain the skills needs of the edibles horticulture industry across the UK covering commercial production including packhouse operations.

The edibles horticulture sector covers a diverse range of production systems and manual labour inputs, majority of which require specialised skill sets. With minimal support from public funding the sector is commercially driven in a competitive retailer environment with a focus on high quality and nutritious products produced with the highest level of input efficiency, including that from manual labour. It is therefore imperative that the industry has access to a skilled workforce for its future viability and growth. This can be achieved by supporting technical innovation, provision of a sustainable and adaptable workforce, clear training routes into the industry and ongoing skills development in all areas of the sector. However, the specific characteristics of the labour force in the edible horticulture sector are not currently known and we need to better understand the skills requirements of the industry.

The expected outcome is an in depth, evidence based summary of the current state of labour in the sector which will inform the route to achieving the sector's full labour potential and sustainability with a suitably skilled workforce, whilst enabling economic growth and raising its profile as an attractive sector to work in. Results from this survey will equip AHDB and its associated stakeholders with the evidence urgently needed to support the case for lobbying government and requests for funding, help inform on migratory advisory committee consultations and inform the training sector of the demand for training products in the horticulture sector. We hope this project will help with the attainment of a sufficient labour force post-Brexit and a skilled career pathway into the industry.

If you're interested please email research@ahdb.org.uk for a specification and application information. Please also submit your application to this address before the deadline: 12 noon on 8 August.

Additional information: If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to receive the specification, please email research@ahdb.org