Abstract
There is a significant need to recruit students into careers in the food industry, as it is experiencing a shortage of qualified food safety (FS) professionals. Despite the need for FS recruitment, there is scarce research on young people’s perceptions of FS careers. This study investigated factors influencing students’ choice of career fields and college majors among a convenience sample of 111 high school (HS) students and 24 community college (CC) students in rural Sampson County, North Carolina. When asked whether they had considered a career in FS, a greater percentage of CC students said yes than HS students (33% vs. 14%). Only 10% of minority students considered FS careers. Whereas 67% of all HS and CC students that there were either some or many careers in general, only 40% of them thought these careers were available in their hometown. “Salary and benefits” and “having an employer who believes in me and my ability to contribute” were consistently rated higher than the remaining factors in choosing a career by both HS and CC students, compared to factors such as performing work that is important to society. These findings provide valuable data to inform future recruitment efforts. Next steps for evaluating the effectiveness of FS recruitment campaigns are provided.
 8. Stevenson_NACTA Journal.pdf | [ ] | 444 kB |
