The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute

endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, the commission

cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Best practices dairy front liners

–focus on digital and green skills

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6- The milk market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6- The EU – dairy overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Dairy Front Liners – or lack of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Digital skills front liners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9The EU and digital competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Acquisition of digital skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10What is the rest of the world up to? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Key information from comparative studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Lessons in terms of public policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Recommendations to sectoral policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Notes on international studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Green Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Recommendations from research concluded of dairy front liners . . . . . . . . 18- Dairy training and digitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Notes on findings from Spanish research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20- References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Presented By: Chris Edwards, OBE, TD, MIFST, VR, 2018

Contents

Executive SummaryIn any attempt to rationalise skills in a specialist arena which is relatively small compared to other

manufacturing industries such as the car industry, it is imperative that there is an understanding of

the industry need/drivers and then a matching of need to education provision .

Many global industries such as car manufacture, tech businesses and retail rely on people and it is

the advance of automation (and associated digital skills) that has developed so quickly in the last 10

years . Observations within the telephony industry and the advent of the smart phone over the last

10 years gives us the strongest indication that such skills move at pace . Change is continual .

This fast pace is difficult for individual EU countries where there are a few critical challenges

such as recruiting (e .g . the right people with passion, enthusiasm and skills for the dairy industry),

developing the right resource (education) with skilled and knowledgeable teachers, relevant pilot

plants and the technology in the pilot plants which must be flexible to teach the hand craft, artisan

level and at the same time must have capability to develop the emerging and changing digital skills

needed by our global companies within the EU .

These digital skills touch all our industries . In the dairy industry there is a tremendous need for

process control, trending, statistics, coding where the resulting knowledge/data is used to drive

factors such as safety, quality, costs and service . Without these additional skills driven into traditional

schools and VET’s and managed by some sort of co-ordinating body such as a EU Dairy National

skills agency/academy then individual countries in the EU will continue to struggle to recruit and

develop curricula that is no longer as relevant or useful as it was and the global companies will not

be able to recruit and retain employees in the international businesses they operate within .

4

IntroductionThe global dairy industry provides a myriad of jobs from farm to fridge across the world . From

farming to processing and manufacturing, from research to marketing and much more, there is

something in the dairy sector for everyone . The rise in automation, decreasing dairy numbers and

increasing volumes from individual dairies has huge implications on global, national and local skills .

There is strong demand for dairy products . Often more complex in nature and design leading to a

need to change skill levels from low base to much higher, and hence demanding other skills from

employees .

This report focuses on the global best practises on dairy training found around the world by

online research, with a special focus on digital and green training . The focus is on Dairy Processing

in the manufacturing segment of the dairy supply chain . It is recognised that there is a wide range

of other jobs which require skills in associated dairy supply chain such as:

a. Dairy farming

b. Transport

c. Supply of raw materials and processing aids

d. Advice/consultancy/training

e. Secondary processing of dairy products into other markets such as bakery.

The milk marketAsia, the EU and the Americas account for more than ¾ of world cow’s milk production . It is in these

countries where there historically has been investment is dairy training and skills delivery .

Page

3

Introduction The global dairy industry provides a myriad of jobs from farm to fridge across the world. From farming to processing and manufacturing, from research to marketing and much more, there is something in the dairy sector for everyone. The rise in automation, decreasing dairy numbers and increasing volumes from individual dairies has huge implications on global, national and local skills. There is strong demand for dairy products. Often more complex in nature and design leading to a need to change skill levels from low base to much higher, and hence demanding other skills from employees.

This report focuses on the global best practises on dairy training found around the world by online research, with a special focus on digital and green training. The focus is on Dairy Processing in the manufacturing segment of the dairy supply chain. It is recognised that there is a wide range of other jobs which require skills in associated dairy supply chain such as:

a. Dairy farming b. Transport c. Supply of raw materials and processing aids d. Advice/consultancy/training e. Secondary processing of dairy products into other markets such as bakery.

The milk market Asia, the EU and the Americas account for more than ¾ of world cow’s milk production. It is in these countries where there historically has been investment is dairy training and skills delivery.

The EU – dairy overview With a total of 600,000 dairy farms, 12,000 processing facilities and 300,000 jobs, and producing 15% of all EU revenue, the European dairy sector is a heavyweight in the European Union's agricultural economy. Europe’s dairy sector is also a major player in the global dairy economy. It produces nearly a quarter of the world’s available milk, i.e. (163.3 billion litres of cow’s milk), and holds a 27% market share in global trade (69.4 billion litres of milk equivalent): neck and neck with New Zealand. These figures reflect the sector’s many strengths in terms of production and processing, the first and foremost of which is its capacity to supply milk of a consistent quality with very slight year-on-year variations in supply volumes.

6

The EU – dairy overviewWith a total of 600,000 dairy farms, 12,000 processing facilities and 300,000 jobs, and producing

15% of all EU revenue, the European dairy sector is a heavyweight in the European Union's agricul-

tural economy . Europe’s dairy sector is also a major player in the global dairy economy . It produces

nearly a quarter of the world’s available milk, i .e . (163 .3 billion litres of cow’s milk), and holds a 27%

market share in global trade (69 .4 billion litres of milk equivalent): neck and neck with New Zealand .

These figures reflect the sector’s many strengths in terms of production and processing, the first and

foremost of which is its capacity to supply milk of a consistent quality with very slight year-on-year

variations in supply volumes .

Revue Laitière Française, dec . 2016

Dairy Front Liners – or lack ofDairy training and development around the world today has not changed significantly but remains a

two-stream approach under a similar search:

Dairy as a primary subject (dairy ‘cow’ - farming)

Dairy as a processing subject (technology/science)

‘Dairy’ appears as a distinct title in each case or as part of a wider ‘food-based course’ such as food

technology or food science . For example, there are 26 institutions (some Vocational Education and

Training (VET) and some Universities) which have a relationship with dairy in India . Often many have

links to western universities . For example, VHL university (The Netherlands) is linked to Sichuan Uni-

versity and China Agricultural University (CAU) with a Master of Innovative Dairy Chain Management

(MSc) . This is very common but in this case again farming focused .

A search of China revealed a number of reports all of which were farming focused . A similar

picture to India is noted .

It is only when you look in to the New Zealand and Australian countries where a more ‘joined up’

approach is found . Dairy Education and Careers web site is a front portal for a good overview but

again very farming focused with little obvious pointers to dairy technology in its broadest sense .

There is very little reference to Green or Digital skills in Dairy Technology courses as a specific

topic for the dairy industry . Often it is linked to further and wider topics in this area . On searching for

Master’s programmes there were 18 programmes worldwide under ‘dairy science and technology’

but 80% were titled Food technology or similar .

The EU dairy sector’s second asset is its internal market of 508 million people, whose consumption is three times higher than the global average . Eighty-seven percent of Europe’s milk is consumed by EU countries .

7

Examples are listed:

1. PG Cert Dairy Technology and Innovation, University College Cork College of Science,

Engineering and Food Science

2. MSc Food Technology, Wageningen University & Research Life Sciences

3. Institution profile for Massey University, Master of Food Technology, Massey University Health

Institution profile for Cardiff Metropolitan University -Food Technology for Industry

(MSc/PgD/PgC) (Online Distance Learning)

4. Food technology MSc, KU Leuven Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

5. MSc Biosystems Engineering, Wageningen University & Research Life Sciences

6. HDip Food Science and Technology, University College Cork College of Science,

Engineering and Food Science

7. Master of Food Safety and Quality, Massey University Sciences

8. Master of Science - Technology (MSc (Tech), University of Waikato Faculty

of Science and Engineering

9. Food Science and Safety, Kaunas University of Technology Masters Programs

10. MSc Food Science, University College Cork College of Science, Engineering

and Food Science

11. Food Sciences – MSc, University of Helsinki International Master's Degree Programmes

12. Master of Science (MSc), University of Waikato Faculty of Science and Engineering

13. Master of Engineering (ME), University of Waikato Faculty of Science and Engineering

14. MSc in Food Science and Technology -Dairy Science and Technology,

University of Copenhagen

Overall, it is a confused picture and often led by dairy companies with their own ‘in house’ style and

delivery . There is not any better or worse than we do in Europe . There does not seem to be any links

to modernisation but a reliance on topics we already list:

a. Dairy: microbiology, chemistry, physics, processing such as pasteurisation and alike.

a. If a dairy technologist wants ‘upgrading/additional’ to digital skills then they need to enrol

on a related course either via a manufacturer such as Siemens or on a longer university/col-

lege-based course. This is a similar picture for Green skills.

Methods of teaching and delivery are where the majority of change is and includes:

a. Vimeo/You Tube type access

b. WhatsApp group

c. Internal supplier SharePoint

d. Internet based one-to-one via systems such as skype

e. Computer Based Graphics (CBG)

f. Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)

However, it is not extensive and difficult to obtain the depth and focus on each dairy topic even

though generation ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ continue to influence the work environment .

8

Dairies, as places of learning, will have issues with the bandwidth required to train with video, CGI

and similar data hungry applications . Eg . Arla Foods uses ‘thin clients’ as a lightweight computer

facility for its employees mainly to do business with, not to train or develop with .

Education suppliers would need to consider access for learners from remote dairies .

Digital skills front linersThe definition of digital skills has become enhanced over the years . In his typology of digital skills,

Jan Steyaert (2000) distinguish three levels:

1. Instrumental skills, which denote the basic technical and operational know-how

in relation to the use of computer equipment;

1. Structural or informational skills, relating to a cognitive rather than technical dimension:

seeking, selecting and processing online information, but also understanding, interpreting

and evaluating it.

1. Strategic skills, which concern the ability to use the information proactively to affect one’s

professional and/ or personal environment.

Therefore, the notion of digital skills goes beyond merely knowing how to use ICT (Information

and communication technologies), which involves the use of computer and Internet technology to

obtain, produce and share information . While this is a necessary condition for digital skills, they go

farther in terms of the use which is made of ICT . What is important is to seek, process and evaluate

information critically, to exploit it in solving complex problems and to use precise techniques to

produce or access Internet content .

ICT plays a progressively vital part in our specialised and private lives where digital competence

is of rising importance for our populations and businesses . In the future, nearly all jobs will require

‘digital skills’ . However, the European Commission figures show that 2/5 of the EU workforce

have little or no digital skills. Despite sustained high levels of unemployment, there could be

756,000 unfilled jobs in the European ICT sector by 2020 . This situation is even more challenging

in certain geographical areas (such as south-eastern Europe), among socially vulnerable groups (in

particular, the unemployed and the disabled) and the elderly .

Despite positive developments in the digital literacy of EU population, the digital gap needs

to be tightened. Digitalisation has several impacts on the labour market and is a similar picture

across the globe apart from pockets of expertise in some developing countries in the far East . On

the one hand, new business models, products and machines create new jobs, while on the other

hand, automation contributes to the elimination of jobs or their relocation to countries with lower

labour costs . Automation also opens doors for new and as yet unknown competence requirements .

The EU and digital competitivenessThe EU-initiative 'New skills for new jobs' emphasises the increasing need for digital skills in the

shift to a low-carbon economy . In addition, the 2010 Digital Agenda documented the need for in-

dicators to measure the extent of digital competence in the EU . This was implemented through the

development of the ‘Digital Competence Framework’, enabling the EU population to evaluate their

own digital skills, and the ‘Digital Economy and Society Index’, summarising relevant indicators on

Europe's digital performance and tracking the evolution of EU Member States in the area of digi-

tal competitiveness . The Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, a multi-stakeholder partnership created

in 2013, aims to facilitate collaboration between business and education providers, and between

9

public and private actors, and has already created 60 functional pledges in 13 countries . The 2016

‘New Skills Agenda for Europe’, adopted by the European Commission aims to improve the quality

of skills training and to make the skills acquired more visible and comparable from one country to

another . Data on ICT skills should also be improved in order to better anticipate developments and

help people make better career choices .

Acquisition of digital skillsSkills acquired in non-formal ways should also be assessed and validated . Possible solutions de-

veloped in the EU Member States include encouraging and enabling people to acquire the skills

needed, enhancing the labour mobility of digitally skilled people and promoting cross-border skills

policies . Improving skills supply can be done by encouraging people to offer their skills on the la-

bour market and by retaining skilled people in the labour market . Putting skills to effective use by

creating better matches between skills offered and demanded, and by increasing the demand for

high-level skills can also contribute to improving the situation .

Skills for digital marketing, social media, cybersecurity, web development and data analytics are

what small and medium enterprises (SMEs) most want to improve on . These are the interim findings

of a European pilot project which will now pilot training courses in these areas for SME employees

and unemployed in Murcia, Spain and in Lithuania . The final objective is to develop “blueprints” to

upskill small businesses all over Europe .

Today the Commission published the interim report of the Pilot Project on digital skills: ‘New Pro-

fessions, New Educational Methods, New Jobs’ (2017) which sets a design training solution in digital

skills to upskill SMEs' labour force . The project will develop a structured programme for training of

SME employees and the unemployed in digital skills required in the modern workplace .

EU example pilot

Five trainings will be piloted in the region of Murcia in Spain and in Lithuania from June till Sep-

tember 2018 in areas covering digital marketing, cybersecurity, data analytics, programming and

software development which respond to the SMEs' needs identified by the project . The final training

blueprints are expected by end of 2018 and will be replicable and scalable in other European re-

gions looking to close the digital skills gap in SMEs .

The pilot project has conducted 40 interviews in Murcia and Lithuania with SMEs, training pro-

viders, employees, jobseekers and policymakers, followed by public round-tables with experts .

The findings show that growth opportunities combined with the lack of available external can-

didates are the main driving forces for SMEs to upskill their employees while the biggest barrier is

lack of time and resources . It is important for SMEs to identify an immediate benefit to the company

to commit the scarce resources to training during working hours . Other obstacles are the lack of in-

formation on available and relevant trainings, the cost of training, inflexible timetables and distance .

A focus on delivery and short-term objectives at the expense of a longer-term vision appear to be

an overall issue for the SMEs preventing them from planning their skills policy .

The research shows that the needs of SMEs vary and that the specific skills lacking depend on the

type of SMEs . However, there are universal tools for business intelligence, marketing, e-commerce

or client relationship management that are common and useful to all SMEs . The stakeholders also

emphasised a need for an internal "digital leader" that would support the bottom-up initiatives where

the management does not have the capacity to sustain transformation and digital skills training .

10

What is the rest of the world up to?The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has attempted to organise

results from around the globe with some front runners . The report “Managing tomorrow’s digital

skills - what conclusions can we draw from international comparative indicators” There are incom-

plete results, currently focused mostly on highly developed countries . There are comparative stud-

ies on levels of digital skills among children and adults, but they are still incomplete, focused on

highly developed countries, and are not yet repeated often enough to provide definitive conclusions

on success factors in the digital field . There are five distinctive comparative studies:

1. OECD (2015) Evaluation of Children’s Skills

2. IEA (2013) Evaluation of Children’s Skills

3. IEA (2016) Evaluation of Children’s Skills

4. OECD (2015) Evaluation of adults’ Skills

5. EU (2017) Evaluation of adults’ Skills

6. Canadian (2010) Review on digital skills ‘Building Digital Skills for Tomorrow’

While digital technology plays an increasingly important role in our lives, and political systems are

mobilizing to make the most of its leverage effect on innovation and economic growth, 56% of

adults lack digital skills, according to the OECD . This report looks at the conditions impacting the

development of digital skills of a population based on international indicators of the levels of skills

amongst children and adults . It is based on five international comparative surveys, the results of

which reveal a sample group of twelve countries whose population have particularly high levels of

digital skills . Building on these results, this rapport seeks to answer two questions:

1. What has enabled these States to rise to the top of the rankings in digital skills?

2. What can other countries do to catch up?

Comparison between the different surveys confirms that the factors affecting the level of digital

skills in children include: age of acculturation to information technology; nature and level of diversity

of online activities; level of ICT-use by teachers . Adults’ skills are more widely determined by so-

cio-economic factors, especially the level of training, indicating a link between inequalities in training

and performance in terms of digital skills . The report also shows a knock-on effect of digital skills,

which can be positive or negative . Analysis of the characteristics of the best-performing countries

reveals that other factors indirectly influence the development of digital skills by laying the founda-

tions for an enabling environment: the quality of infrastructure, the level of digitization of businesses

and the wealth of digital content .

Consideration of public policies on education and the labour market in the countries in the

sample group highlights good practices, such as monitoring the level of digital skills, integration of

digital technology in the global education ecosystem (beyond ICT lessons), supporting education-

al reforms with proper teacher training and fighting against digital exclusion which often leads to

social exclusion . This report also shows that to achieve the best conditions for the development of

digital skills, public authorities must pursue efforts in two areas: policies that create a supportive

framework, and sectoral policies for basic and further training . To ensure that these policies are as

relevant as possible, they must be the result of collaboration between government, educational and

training institutions, and businesses .

12

Networked Readiness Index (NRI). Singapore has overtaken Finland to become the most effective

user of digital technology in the world, according to the latest Networked Readiness Index (NRI) .

However, it is European nations that dominate the leader-board, with seven top 10 places this year .

Singapore is the sole remaining Asian Tiger following the demotion of Hong Kong and South Korea .

The NRI is part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report 2015: ICTs for

Inclusive Growth . The NRI identifies the capacity of countries to leverage Information and Commu-

nication Technologies (ICTs), by assessing the overall political and business environment, the level of

ICT readiness and usage among the population, businesses and government, as well as the overall

impacts of ICTs on the economy and society at large . The 2015 results, which cover 143 economies,

confirm the dominance of advanced economies and the persistence of the multiple-faceted digital

divides not only across but also within economies . They reveal the pervasive digital poverty that de-

prives the neediest from the opportunities offered by ICTs . Beyond this diagnosis, the 2015 edition

of the report provides solutions from leading experts and practitioners to alleviate digital poverty

and make the ICT revolution a global reality .

13

Key information from comparative studiesThe comparative studies analysed in the OECD report identify a number of factors that can improve

digital skills to varying degrees .

Among children, seven main key points can be taken from the ICILS, PISA and ePIRLS studies:

1. The earlier students are introduced to computing, the better their digital skills.

2. The link between experience and skill level is particularly strong in less developed countries.

Schools should therefore integrate ICT learning into their curricula from the first year of schooling.

3. The provision of equipment in schools and homes is not enough because it is utilization that

has an impact on the level of skill.

4. The availability of equipment does not guarantee effective and useful Internet use by children.

However, this is more relevant in developed countries where there are few barriers to access-

ing computer equipment.

5. A diverse range of activities is associated with better digital skills.

6. Encouraging children to diversify their online activities can help improve their digital skills.

7. The use of ICT by teachers has a positive effect on pupils’ digital skills, especially when this

approach is applied across all subjects, and not restricted to computing classes. Teacher

training in ICT is therefore crucial.

With regard to adult skills, these are closely linked to socioeconomic factors, specifically educational

attainment . Among the adult population, the greatest discrepancy in digital skills (more than gender or

age) is between higher education graduates and people who have not completed upper secondary

education . This may indicate that the highest-performing countries in terms of digital skills are those

with the least educational inequality . The democratization of access to further education, particularly

at degree level, therefore promotes the development of digital skills among adults .

Lessons in terms of public policyAnalytical studies and case studies of the best-performing countries in terms of digital skills can

be used to formulate recommendations for public policies promoting digital skills . To achieve the

best conditions for the development of digital skills, two types of public policy must be taken into

account: policies that create a supportive framework, and sectoral policies for basic and further

training . These two dimensions are equally important, as the latter can be effective only if supported

by the former .

Non-sectoral policies should focus on three areas:

1. Technological infrastructure, through investments aimed at providing quality high-speed

Internet access, reducing access costs, connecting populations in remote regions, switching

from 2G to 3G, 4G etc.

2. Digitization of businesses, by providing a framework and incentives for businesses to adopt new

technologies and update their working practices by integrating digital technologies. This would

create a demand for digital skills that would foster and enhance the development of such skills

internally and externally (workplace training courses, specialist courses in higher education, etc.)

3. The development of online content (relevant content locally, content in local languages,

etc.) to create a virtuous circle in which enriched content is both a driver and a consequence

of digital competencies.

14

These three areas, while not directly linked to digital education, are key drivers for the proper imple-

mentation of sectoral policies on the development of digital skills .

Recommendations to sectoral policiesAt school, go beyond teaching basic technical skills as part of an IT or technology course, as this

is not sufficient for today’s needs . It is essential to teach specialist skills such as programming or

robotics and develop logical thinking in order to keep pace with changing technologies, and this

should form an integral part of educational policies .

Support any educational policy or reform relating to digital technology in the curriculum by

providing teacher training in this area . Such training should take place at two levels: training in ICT,

so that digital skills can be transmitted to pupils effectively, and training in the integration of ICT into

teaching methods, so that Managing tomorrow’s digital skills Conclusion 27 digital technology is not

just an objective but also a vector for teaching across all subjects .

Develop monitoring of digital skills to ensure that needs are properly identified, and tailored

solutions are found . This is valuable both for pupils and adults . An understanding of the labour mar-

ket in terms of business requirements and the skills available within the workforce is essential for

devising targeted training programmes and ensuring that individuals develop the necessary skills to

secure their employability (and, in doing so, the competitiveness of businesses) .

Draft policies that promote digital technology through collaboration between the government, edu-

cational and training institutes and businesses, and to encourage joint action between these actors .

Ensure that these policies attain all population groups, particularly those that are most vulner-

able (such as older persons, deprived groups and immigrants) through complementary policies to

combat digital exclusion .

Notes on international studiesCurrent international studies on public policies in this field should produce some specific results to

help make policies efficient in the short and medium term . Several of the studies used in this report

will produce new data within a few years and these can then be compared with initial findings . A

number of working groups are being set up at the international level, such as the ET2020 Working

Group for Digital Skills and Competences of the European Union, to formulate future policies . Un-

fortunately, there is an imbalance in current comparative studies on the impact of public policies on

digital skills . Despite an increase in the number of initiatives for pupils in developed countries, there

are relatively few comparative studies on key populations, such as:

a. Older persons, whose status as a key population group has come about as a result of the

reversal of the age pyramid in high-income countries, and for whom digital skills are crucial.

b. Developing countries, which have specific characteristics (a mobile-oriented technology

environment, different economic uses and needs) and which merit further analysis to

determine best practice with regard to public policies.

The high number of regional and national digital skills initiatives are guiding decision-makers towards

digital skills policies that meet the needs of society . Such initiatives are fertile ground for more detailed

comparative studies to develop the digital skills of tomorrow’s citizens . However, they need to undergo

some form of recalibration so that all countries wishing to do so can develop their digital competencies .

16

Green SkillsThis section explores employment effects, skill requirements and international policy implications

of the changeover towards a greener economy . The expected impact of environmental and climate

change policies on future skills demand within and across sectors, will point toward insights for ef-

fective training and education policies . This will be a generational change .

Climate change is an increasingly important driver of labour demand and skills supply across all

sectors . Therefore, the positive impacts of the transition to a greener economy can be maximised

only by developing the skills, knowledge and competences required by resource-efficient processes

and technologies; and integrating these into our businesses and communities .

There are specific economic activities and occupational profiles to identify where existing com-

petences are being improved; additional or new competences are emerging; and old competences

are becoming obsolete as a result of the greening of the European economy . Anticipating and

analysing evolving skill needs informs education, training and employment policies, and enables a

better matching between labour supply and demand .

A more efficient, conservative use of energy across all sectors and a greater use of renewable

energy sources are essential to foster transition to sustainable and secure energy in Europe . Achiev-

ing the energy and employment targets provided within Europe 2020 strategy it is however not

without challenges . Investigating the expected impact of sustainable energy policies on future skills

demand is necessary to inform effective employment, education and training policies in this area .

The impact on employment and skill demands of developing a sustainable, green economy is

uneven over time, across countries, regions and types of worker and occupation . Consistent re-

gulation, sustained government incentives and the mainstreaming of green economic development

across employment and skills policies are important mechanisms to support a smooth transition .

Improved provision of guidance on green jobs and forecasting of skill needs are needed to avert

bottlenecks and facilitate VET responses .

The move to sustainable development creates an enormous potential for job creation . These

jobs are powered by environmental policy, market demands, investment in new technology and in-

novation . In the future, almost every job will potentially be a “green” job . Considering the significant

socio-economic externalities, the case for government support to drive this forward is clear . Under-

standing the environmental implications of an occupation needs to be mainstreamed into education

and training systems .

The expansion of the green economy is being accelerated by concerns relating to energy gener-

ation, resource use and environmental management . Europe sets the pace in the drive to a low-car-

bon economy based on renewables to substitute for fossil fuels and energy conservation for effi-

cient energy use . Skills are a critical ingredient in setting coherent education, training, employment

and environmental targets .

17

SummaryDespite developing strengths in digital infrastructure/ability around the world1 as a distinct topic plus

green skills there is no clear or emerging link between these two key topics and dairy education

from anywhere around the world . Dairy topics are ‘buried’ in Food Technology and there is a clear

indication of an increase in this tendency . There is an unclear distinction between dairy farming and

dairy processing . There is a lot of reference to dairy farming topics . Dairy processing education is

delivered on short courses (1-2 days) in the work place, some is online but mostly delivered in edu-

cation supply institutions such as colleges, VET, Schools and universities . There is little inspiration

from any country in the development of digitally, green orientated dairy courses unless these are

taken as separate modules or courses . Industry has a clear need for employees with increased green

awareness and relevant digital skills beyond ICT and into areas such as automation, cobots, robots

and process control via Human Machine Interfaces . Managing Big data therefore becomes a must .

Recommendations from research concluded of dairy front linersThere are no real ‘global front liners’ where dairy companies, government, education providers and

students have understood the market failures in education provision . More recent ‘good’ examples

are in the UK where a Dairy VET, Government, trade bodies and employers have formed strong links

to produce a modern dairy training facility but still built on more traditional teaching delivery and

not visionary with regard to delivery models aligned with Worked Based Learning (WBL) creative

thinking . Other EU examples include Kold College in Denmark but there is a good network across

the EU which is not necessarily understood by all members states and how it could be used more

efficiently and in line with the WBL report recommendations .

Front liner ‘vision’ must come from alternate industries where market adaptation has been no-

ticeable such as:

Computer-generated imagery (CGI)

Oil and Gas because of health and safety and the drive into more hostile environments

Alternate Energy suppliers (Wind, Solar and geo thermal)

Dairy training and digitalizationTraining and development in dairy companies concentrates on compliance, leadership and business

skills leaving dairy education providers short of students leading to less providers and a dilution of

dairy skills as a distinct education area .

Closer links between industry and education providers across the EU is crucial .

Work with agencies (Government and NGO) to understand the key difference on ‘dairy’ as a

different topic ‘on farm’ as opposed to in factory . There is a confused picture online for anyone who

searches for a career in dairy within food technology . Furthermore, the language barriers across the

EU at each level of employee grade is a challenge, and it is difficult to understand where the best

facilities are .

1 World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report 2015

18

Moreover, a modernisation plan of dairy training provider resources is needed both in terms of:

People

Plant

Training environment

Delivery methods/models/pedagogy e.g. WBL (see separate report)

Development of new and improved curriculum where new skills are blended with some of the older

key skills, such as dairy chemistry, is crucial to meet present and future demands for digital skills .

Dairies recognise the need but there are no significant plans in place to digitise existing curriculum .

Such digitisation could be:

• Digital skills inclusion/blending

• Green Skills Inclusion/blending

• Adaptation/ modernisation/digitisation of dairy tradition skills:

- Science

- Processing

- Packaging

- Filling

In addition, it would be fruitful to develop an EU Skills committee with clear governance . And an

education plan (nationally) for 10-20 years with a student recruitment campaign focusing on job

opportunities in an attractive and modern sector .

Moreover, once the graduates enter the labour market in the dairy sector, big effort should be

made to retain the employees in the sector, making it attractive to stay .

Collaboration between suppliers and training facilities around topics such as hygienic design,

green and digital principles is highly recommendable:

• Building design

• Equipment Design

• Utilities design

• Test equipments

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Notes on findings from Spanish research

a. To identify an immediate benefit to the company to commit the scarce resources to training during

working hours. Recommend: early objectives/outcomes understood (usually financial benefits!)

b. The lack of information on available and relevant trainings, the cost of training, inflexible time-

tables and distance. Recommend: Therefore, make information on dairy training available

and understood by each member state in own language as well as English.

c. A focus on delivery and short-term objectives at the expense of a longer-term vision

appear to be an overall issue for the SMEs preventing them from planning their skills policy.

Recommend: Longer term vision and strategy in line with small company ethos/needs

d. The research shows that the needs of SMEs vary and that the specific skills lacking

depend on the type of SMEs. Recommend: understand the market

e. However, there are universal tools for business intelligence, marketing, e-commerce or client

relationship management that are common and useful to all SMEs. Recommend: The need

for an internal ”digital leader” that would support the bottom-up initiatives where the

management does not have the capacity to sustain transformation and digital skills training.

References

Dairy Australia, 2018 ‘Dairy education and careers’

FAO, ‘China: Dairy product quality as the new industry driver’

Government of Canada, 2014 ‘Building Digital Skills for Tomorrow’

International Dairy Federation, ‘2015/16 Annual Report’

Nederlandse Zuivel Organisatie, 2018 ,The Power of Dairy ready for tomorrows challenges’

Revue Laitière Française, Dec.2016 ‘European Dairy Sector – Rising to all Challenges’

Rathenau Institut, 2000, ‘Digital Skills, literacy in the information society’

Sino-Dutch Dairy Development Centre, 2014 ‘White Paper on China Dairy’

UNESCO, Education 2030 ‘Building tomorrow’s digital skills – what conclusions can we draw from

international comparative indicators?

World Economic Forum, ‘Global Information Technology Report 2015’20