The concern of food technology teacher, Anne O’Donnell (“A recipe for bad culinary habits”, TES, November 11) that retiring specialist teachers will not be replaced, echoes that of the Institute of Consumer Sciences.
With only 240 students last year entering higher education to study consumer sciences subjects, our institute is embarking upon a campaign to highlight the significant job opportunities with a consumer sciences degree.
We attended the recent Ofsted conference on food technology and were heartened that the pendulum is starting to swing away from the manufacturing biased approach described by Colin Whitfield. And career opportunities spread far beyond the catering he suggests. Besides education there is a wealth of careers awaiting food and consumer science graduates: product development technologist, sensory analyst, marketing manager, food scientist, are just a few.
The spiral of decline in what was once called home economics must be halted.
Dianne Page
Chairman Institute of Consumer Sciences Lonsdale House, 52 Blucher Street, Birmingham