Meat Business Women and Kepak Launch Programme to Boost Women in Factory Roles

Kepak and Meat Business Women have partnered on a new pilot programme to support the progression of women working in factory floor roles across the food industry. The programme was developed in response to feedback from Kepak’s operative workforce focus groups at Meat Business Women hosted events in 2024 which found that gender bias and a confidence gap were the primary challenges affecting women in operations and manufacturing roles.

The four-month pilot took place with employees from Kepak’s sites in Clonee, Athleague, Ballymahon, Ballybay and Cavan and focused on key topics including: building confidence, assertiveness and personal brand, navigating change and strategic networking. The workshops were developed to give women at Kepak practical tools, knowledge, and strategies to support their progression into leadership.

Each participant attended four in-person workshops and was also matched with an internal mentor. In addition, they received Meat Business Women membership, giving them access to ongoing professional development and a global network of women across the meat industry to further build their connections.

On the back of the success of the programme, it will be rolled out across Meat Business Women’s wider network of strategic partners, offering other businesses the opportunity to invest in the growth and retention of their operational talent.

Sabrina Farrelly, Quality Controller, Kepak Ballybay, pilot programme participant: “After completing the programme I'm more confident at work. I had doubts about being good enough and not wanting to progress as I felt comfortable in my current role, however, during the four pilot workshops, these thoughts were put out of my head as soon as we learned more about the tools needed to build confidence. I would recommend this course highly to any person that is given the opportunity to complete it. My mindset has completely changed from self-doubt to confidence since completing the pilot programme.”

Niamh McTrinley, Learning and Development Manager, Kepak: “At Kepak, we take pride in being a great place to work where people are respected and empowered. This pilot programme developed in partnership with Meat Business Women is a direct response to the needs of our operations team and the wider industry. The results speak for themselves - 82% of participants reported increased confidence to pursue professional ambitions and taking the next step in their career with Kepak after taking part in the programme. We’re proud to have pioneered this initiative and look forward to seeing its positive impact expand across the wider industry.

Laura Ryan, Founder & Global Chair of Meat Business Women said: “We know that there are particular challenges facing women in operative roles and are proud to work with our programme provider to offer a practical, data-led solution to this, with fantastic results. Our priority as an organisation remains the attraction, development and retention of the best talent and we believe that by investing in women in operational roles, we’re supporting the development of internal talent pipelines, which are critical to the ensuring that businesses remain sustainable and profitable.”

A recent Meat Business Women’s report found that the proportion of women in the meat workforce has declined from 36% in 2020 to 33.5% in 2023. The most significant drop was in operations roles, which fell from 40% to 36%. The report also found that many women still bear the majority of childcare responsibilities, which combined with rising childcare costs has made access to work more difficult, especially in these entry-level roles.

On completion of the four-month pilot programme:

• 82% of participants reported increased confidence to pursue professional ambitions and taking the next step in their career with Kepak
• 85% felt better equipped to build support systems (e.g. through networking and mentorship) and intend to continue this after the programme
• 100% would recommend the programme to a colleague

This pilot aligns with Meat Business Women’s vision to ensure the sustainability of the meat and wider food industry by attracting, developing, and retaining talent. As a Strategic Partner, Kepak is actively working with Meat Business Women to make meaningful progress toward this aim.