 Earlier this week, we held a Farm to Fork event in partnership with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET).
Farm to Fork was an early career event for S1 pupils that had been developed to help them explore the wider careers associated with the agricultural sector. Pupils were able to speak to exhibitors to learn more about how food is produced by farmers then used by local food and drink producers in the final product.  KGS pupils are pictured with Gary Nicolson from Orkney Marshmallows. During Kirkwall Grammar School’s recent Health and Wellbeing week we offered pupils a chance to gain an insight into careers in Orkney’s food and drink industry.
The day started with pupils making dough which they left to prove while they headed through to Stromness to visit Argos Bakery where they were treated to a behind the scenes tour. Pupils got to see where and how Orkney Fudge is made and were all surprised at how much manual work is involved in the process. They then got to see the packing area which was a hive of activity packaging all the different cakes, rolls and biscuits that are made on site.  In our final Sector Spotlight on the Food and Drink sector we hear from Jane Ellison from JP Orkney. As well as being the partner/owner of JP Orkney with her partner, Paul, she also works as a Home Economics Teacher at Stromness Academy.
After completing her GCSE’s, Jane spent time travelling in Malaysia before returning home to complete her A Levels. She then went to University where she achieved an HND in Hospitality Business Management, and a degree in Food Systems and Quality Assurance. Following graduation, she worked in restaurant management before undertaking a post-graduate qualification to become a teacher. A move to Orkney saw Jane and Paul setting up their hospitality business offering guided tours, Orkney made produce and electric camper van hire.  Continuing our Sector Spotlight on the Food and Drink sector, we hear from Graham Bruce who is the Visits and Retail Operations Manager at Highland Park Distillery. Graham started his career with Boots in a temporary role over Christmas. He remained with the business for 10 years working in a variety of roles. Graham then started working at World Duty Free as part of the management team specialising in selling malt whisky. He then moved into roles in the financial sector before moving to Orkney with his family and taking up a role with Highlands and Islands Enterprise before moving into his current role at Highland Park.
 In our next Sector Spotlight on the Food and Drink sector, we hear from Glynis Leslie who is the owner of Orkney Isles Preserves. On leaving school she studied languages in Aberdeen including French, German and a bit of Spanish. She worked in Germany, but hated city life and was very homesick. Eventually she gave up her course to come home to Shapinsay and work for her folks, who ran a shop and haulage business.
Glynis went on to marry and start a family. Looking for something for herself that would fit in with family life, she started making jams and chutneys for the local craft shop and since then the business has grown.  In our first Sector Spotlight on the Food and Drink industry, we hear from Callum MacInnes who is the Director of The Island Smokery. Callum started his career as an engineer working on military aircraft and equipment. He then moved to Orkney and changed direction buying and running shops before starting The Island Smokery.
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