Improve Launches Training Program to Get Young People Working in Food and Drink
Food and drink manufacturers are being invited to have their say on shaping a new training program aimed at getting more young people back to work in the industry.
Leeds, United Kingdom, September 11, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, has secured government funding to develop a Food and Drink Sector Routeway Training Program in a bid to tackle the shortage of school-leavers opting for a career in food and drink.
The program will be funded through the government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, a scheme run by the Department for Work and Pensions which guarantees places on training courses and employment opportunities to 18 to 24 year olds who have been looking for a job for six months or more.
Improve is now inviting employers to come forward to join a steering group which will oversee the development of the program to ensure it is relevant to the needs of the industry.
Justine Fosh, director of skills solutions for Improve and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, said: “Food and drink is one industry where there are still plenty of opportunities for young people looking for a job. The industry needs more young people coming into it because its workforce is aging and we are anticipating a high demand for new recruits to replace those who retire or otherwise leave the industry over the coming years – something in the region 137,000 by 2017.
“Concern over employment for young people is obviously high at the moment. We have been able to demonstrate to the government that there are plenty of food jobs available, and that we have the capacity to train and develop young people looking for work so they have the key skills needed to pursue rewarding careers.
“We are at an early stage, with just the outline of the program agreed in principle. But what is so promising about it is that it will not just be about getting young people off the unemployment list. We will be developing high-quality training aimed at preparing them for long-term employment and fulfilling the skills needs of the companies they work for. That is why it is important for us to have employers on board shaping the program to ensure we are developing the right skills in the right way to make employing young people a viable and attractive option for companies. Demand for more highly skilled workers is rising rapidly, and it is important we use this program to lay the right foundations for young people to develop and progress.”
The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, Improve’s partner organisation, will be involved in delivering the training through its network of providers. The two- or eight-week short courses will include helping young people identify employment opportunities in the industry and developing basic skills in preparation for applying for work.
The two-week program will focus on basic employability skills, health and safety, food safety and food hygiene, food handling and operations practice and quality and improvement in food operations.
The eight-week program will go into more depth, including drawing up individual training and skills development plans focusing on the specialist skills needed for specific job roles and on-the-job training through work experience and work shadowing. It will also allow trainees to gain credits to count towards full qualifications in employability skills, numeracy and literacy skills and food manufacturing skills at entry level or level 1, offering direct progression to further skills development in employment.
If you would like to get involved in shaping the Food and Drink Sector Routeway Training Programme, please e-mail Liz Pattison at L.Pattison@foodanddrink.nsacademy.co.uk. For further information, go to www.improve-skills.co.uk.
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Note to editors
Improve is part of the network of sector skills councils established by the government to take the lead in driving up skills in the workplace in order to promote higher productivity and stronger competitiveness for UK businesses in the global market. Funded primarily by the government, sector skills councils are also supported by employers whose needs they represent when stimulating change among the providers of education and skills. Sector skills councils work closely with employers to promote greater commitment to improving skills in their workforces, and with schools, colleges, universities, and private training organisations to improve the provision of basic skills training and to make vocational and occupational training more relevant to the modern commercial climate.
Issued on behalf of Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, www.improveltd.co.uk, by Nexnet PR, Leeds, www.nexnet.co.uk. For further information call Nexnet on 0113 247 0029 or email paul.newham@nexnet.co.uk or joanne.mead@nexnet.co.uk.
The program will be funded through the government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, a scheme run by the Department for Work and Pensions which guarantees places on training courses and employment opportunities to 18 to 24 year olds who have been looking for a job for six months or more.
Improve is now inviting employers to come forward to join a steering group which will oversee the development of the program to ensure it is relevant to the needs of the industry.
Justine Fosh, director of skills solutions for Improve and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, said: “Food and drink is one industry where there are still plenty of opportunities for young people looking for a job. The industry needs more young people coming into it because its workforce is aging and we are anticipating a high demand for new recruits to replace those who retire or otherwise leave the industry over the coming years – something in the region 137,000 by 2017.
“Concern over employment for young people is obviously high at the moment. We have been able to demonstrate to the government that there are plenty of food jobs available, and that we have the capacity to train and develop young people looking for work so they have the key skills needed to pursue rewarding careers.
“We are at an early stage, with just the outline of the program agreed in principle. But what is so promising about it is that it will not just be about getting young people off the unemployment list. We will be developing high-quality training aimed at preparing them for long-term employment and fulfilling the skills needs of the companies they work for. That is why it is important for us to have employers on board shaping the program to ensure we are developing the right skills in the right way to make employing young people a viable and attractive option for companies. Demand for more highly skilled workers is rising rapidly, and it is important we use this program to lay the right foundations for young people to develop and progress.”
The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, Improve’s partner organisation, will be involved in delivering the training through its network of providers. The two- or eight-week short courses will include helping young people identify employment opportunities in the industry and developing basic skills in preparation for applying for work.
The two-week program will focus on basic employability skills, health and safety, food safety and food hygiene, food handling and operations practice and quality and improvement in food operations.
The eight-week program will go into more depth, including drawing up individual training and skills development plans focusing on the specialist skills needed for specific job roles and on-the-job training through work experience and work shadowing. It will also allow trainees to gain credits to count towards full qualifications in employability skills, numeracy and literacy skills and food manufacturing skills at entry level or level 1, offering direct progression to further skills development in employment.
If you would like to get involved in shaping the Food and Drink Sector Routeway Training Programme, please e-mail Liz Pattison at L.Pattison@foodanddrink.nsacademy.co.uk. For further information, go to www.improve-skills.co.uk.
###
Note to editors
Improve is part of the network of sector skills councils established by the government to take the lead in driving up skills in the workplace in order to promote higher productivity and stronger competitiveness for UK businesses in the global market. Funded primarily by the government, sector skills councils are also supported by employers whose needs they represent when stimulating change among the providers of education and skills. Sector skills councils work closely with employers to promote greater commitment to improving skills in their workforces, and with schools, colleges, universities, and private training organisations to improve the provision of basic skills training and to make vocational and occupational training more relevant to the modern commercial climate.
Issued on behalf of Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, www.improveltd.co.uk, by Nexnet PR, Leeds, www.nexnet.co.uk. For further information call Nexnet on 0113 247 0029 or email paul.newham@nexnet.co.uk or joanne.mead@nexnet.co.uk.
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Paul Newham
(+44)113 2470029
www.nexnet.co.uk/
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