Advocating for Confectionery Industry Careers and Inspiring Opportunities

The candy industry is a vibrant and innovative manufacturing community and we are launching videos this year to introduce students to the world’s sweetest manufacturing careers.

These videos bring together industry manufacturing professionals from your favorite national candy companies to talk about careers in R&D/Engineering, Packaging, Food Safety & Quality, and Supply Chain/Procurement.

More than 55,000 Americans work directly in the confectionery industry. Learn about the economic impact of #ThePowerofSweet! Meet some of our great companies through these Sweet Life videos.

The Confectionery Foundation builds career connections for college undergraduate and graduate students. 2023 marks the 11th anniversary of our Next Generation career and networking programs in the confectionery industry. Visit our Students page for more information.
Thank you to the dozens of volunteers from our confectionery and snack industry who, every year, share our commitment and donate their time to host, mentor and inspire our next generation guests. Thank you for paying forward to create opportunities and make connections which strengthen our communities, industry and country.

To volunteer again or get involved factory tours and internships this year, please click the Industry Details button above and submit your online form.

“We learned how they are taking consumer trends and using the analytics to create new products. This was something that really intrigued me, and I could see myself pursuing in the future…All the mentors and speakers were extremely kind and provided a lot of insight throughout the day. This show opened my eyes to different aspect of the industry I was not previously aware of, and it caused me to be even more excited about the industry I chose to study. ”
—From a Confectionery Foundation student guest following the NextGen program
  

Next Generation Programs:
At Sweets & Snacks Expo, we introduce college students and faculty to careers in our industry through mentoring and personalized tours of Sweets & Snacks Expo. Students studying Food Science and Food Technology, Marketing, RFID and Robotics, Package Design, Supply Chain, International Business, Chocolate and Pastry, Food Process Engineering, Fashion Design, Finance, Mechanical engineering, HVACR, Facilities Engineering, Communications and Public Relations were invited to apply for this program.

Students representing a variety colleges across the US states participate in guided tours, discussions, networking reception and plenty of Q&A throughout the day.
Watch the 3 minute video.

Each February through April …students aged 20-30 who are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate or technical college degree programs are invited to apply for the NextGen career education day at Sweets & Snacks Expo. Click here to learn more! Return next February to apply for next year’s program.

Here is the Sweets & Snacks Expo link

National Confectioners Association, RCI, NCSA, PMCA and AACT members: click to learn about volunteer opportunities with The Confectionery Foundation.