A cohort of 12 students and two staff from Elliott Hudson College in Leeds gained some food for thought earlier this week when they attended a site visit at Calbee UK, home of Seabrook crisps in Bradford.

As one of the leading manufacturers of crisps and snacks in the UK, and owned by Japan’s No. 1 savoury snack manufacturer, the students were given a rare factory tour of the facility.

Showcasing the latest technologies that are used in the production process, the session was also an opportunity to share details about the varied careers that are available throughout the company, linking to the business curriculum the students are currently studying.

Students were then invited to meet with the Senior Leadership Team to ask any questions that they had about the organisation, its plans and how they could access jobs within the business once they complete their studies.

Group Sales Director at Calbee UK, Martin France, comments: “At Calbee UK we appreciate how important it is to educate young people about the sector and to explain that you can have an exciting and progressive career within the FMCG industry.

“Far too often, we hear young people talking about their ambitions, and increasingly they overlook our sector entirely. Working in FMCG is fast-paced, exciting and competitive. We need to make it our mission to encourage young people to aspire to roles that will give them a chance to learn, earn and progress.”

Assistant Principal and Careers Leader for Elliott Hudson College, Clare Lucas, comments: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Calbee UK for arranging the visit with our students. Providing them with real life examples of the workplace is invaluable not only do they get to see the machinery and to meet with people but also to put this all into context. After all, many of them will never have been in a production facility or office environment of this scale before. It can be difficult to explain the range of career opportunities that are available, certainly when things are evolving so quickly, so having the chance to speak with people that work at these businesses and have exciting roles is great for our students. It gives them something to aspire towards.”

Following the tour a questions and answer session was concluded; the students were each handed a goody bag of snacks to enjoy on their journey back to college and to share with friends and family.

For further information about Calbee Group and Seabrook, please visit: www.calbee.co.uk and www.seabrookcrisps.com. For regular updates follow: Calbee Group UK Ltd and Seabrook Crisps on LinkedIn, @calbee_uk and @seabrookcrisps on Instagram and @Seabrook Crisps on Facebook.