A unique scheme that allows school-leavers to ‘earn while they learn’ by placing them in a salaried training role while they study for their degree has been launched by Nestlé, in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University.

The Nestlé Academy Fast Start Programme is the first of its kind in the food industry and has already received hundreds of applications for the 12 places on offer.

At the end of the three year programme successful participants will be offered a job within the company. During their training they will gain work experience across a broad range of commercial roles at Nestlé, alongside a BA (Hons) in Professional Business Practice from Sheffield Hallam University.

The commercial trainees will be paid a salary whilst they complete the programme, and their tuition fees will be entirely paid for by Nestlé.

“With declining numbers of 18- 24 year olds, an ageing population and a predicted decline in graduate numbers, we need to make a career in the food industry a career of choice,” says Fiona Kendrick, Chairman and CEO Nestlé UK and Ireland. “We need a commercially driven workforce for the future and are looking for individuals with potential. The Nestlé Academy Fast Start Programme not only allows young people to earn while they learn but also to gain invaluable business skills and experience whilst working towards the academic achievement of a degree. Added to that they are given an opportunity to develop an exciting and rewarding career with Nestlé with opportunities both in the UK and all over the globe.”

During the first two years the commercial trainees will rotate between the Sales, Marketing, Human Resources and Supply Chain functions in real jobs working on real-life projects. In the third year they will specialise into a specific business area, based on Nestlé’s business needs, their preferences and strengths for a particular role. Alongside the commercial experience the commercial trainees will complete 5 blocks of 5-day study release based at Sheffield Hallam University.

Professor Adrian Hopgood, Pro Vice Chancellor of Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, comments: “At Sheffield Hallam University we are committed to working closely with industry to produce work-ready graduates, and we offer a range of innovative flexible learning routes so that our students can learn in a way that best suits their needs. This programme is unique in that it recruits participants with school leaver qualifications, rather than at postgraduate level. We believe that the students will benefit hugely from being able to apply the theory they learn at University directly into the workplace to solve real-life business issues.”

Food and drink manufacturers have trebled the number of apprenticeships across the industry, beating an original target to double before the end of 2012.

The latest data from the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and the sector skills council, Improve, shows that since August 2011 there have been 5,281 apprenticeship starts in food and drink manufacturing businesses across the country. Apprenticeships now make up 1.3% of the overall food and drink manufacturing workforce – up from 0.4% in 2010/11.

The Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) Apprenticeship Pledge, launched last year, aims to build a pool of talented apprentices that can be developed and deployed across the sector.

The UK food industry has also introduced its own Graduate Excellence engineering degree course. Half of the work placements required for the forty students have already been pledged for the course, which launches in 2014 at Sheffield Hallam University. So far, 23 placements and other offers of support have been pledged by: apetito, Arla Foods, Burton’s Biscuit Company, Cargill, Dalehead Foods, General Mills, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, Premier Foods, United Biscuits, Warburtons and the William Jackson Food Group.

Graduate Excellence will be the UK’s first dedicated food and drink engineering degree. It is currently being developed by FDF in partnership with the National Skills Academy (NSA) for food and drink and Sheffield Hallam University where the programme will be based. The degree course will begin in September 2014.

Both the Apprenticeship Pledge and Graduate Excellence aim to build the skills the UK’s food and drink manufacturing sector needs for the future, enabling it to meet its ambition to grow 20% by 2020.

The Food and Drink Federation’s President Jim Moseley, says: “Our Apprenticeship Pledge and Graduate Excellence programme are both key to attracting the talented individuals that we need for the future, enabling us to achieve our joint vision with government to grow our sector 20% by 2020. Having so many great companies on-board, offering quality apprenticeships and work placements as part of the degree, is a sign of our industry’s commitment to support the next generation of skilled food and drink employees and to achieving our vision.”

UK retailer Tesco will target the dairy farmers of the future as part of a new scholarship programme open to members of its pioneering Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group. The scholarship programme will see TSDG farmers or their family members being offered the chance to study elements of dairy farming such as animal welfare, animal fertility and sustainability.

After carrying out their studies, beneficiaries of the programme will aim to promote new innovations and ideas throughout the TSDG. The TSDG was set up in 2007 to help support struggling dairy farmers and has grown to include over 700 farmers across the UK.

Dame Lucy Neville Rolfe, Executive Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs at Tesco comments: “Through the TSDG we’ve been able to support hundreds of dairy farmers across the UK in what have been some uncertain times for the industry as a whole, so we’re delighted to be able to offer the chance of a TSDG scholarship programme to our members. As an international retailer, we know from experience how useful it can be to find ways of exchanging good practice around the world.”

Beneficiaries of the programme will also be given the opportunity to visit the Tesco Dairy Centre of Excellence at Liverpool University to discuss their plans and obtain advice and support from members of the dedicated team.

Andy Bloor, Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group Chairman says: “I’m really pleased that after developing a ‘next generation’ group within the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group, TSDG farmers and the farmers of the future will be given the opportunity to take part in this new scholarship programme. Tesco has shown a real commitment to the TSDG, so being able to share new ideas and innovations will ensure the group continues to be a leader in its field.”

Tesco formed the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group (TSDG) in 2007 after years of dairy farmers operating in an extremely difficult market with farms going out of business. Today, the TSDG has over 700 farmers who exclusively supply Tesco with all its own brand fresh milk. Tesco meets delegates every three months to discuss projects, pricing arrangements and to generally better understand the supply chain.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has underlined its continued commitment to youth development with the opening of a brand new Education Centre at Continuum Recycling, the joint venture with ECO Plastics which created the world’s largest plastics bottle reprocessing facility located in Hemswell, Lincolnshire. The new centre is the fifth of its kind in Great Britain, with similar facilities at other CCE sites including Sidcup, Wakefield, Edmonton and East Kilbride in Scotland.

As part of CCE’s national education programme, the latest investment will support the company’s drive to introduce young people to the world of business, enterprise and engineering. The new centre aims to host over 200 visits per year, reaching over 4,000 students from local secondary schools, colleges and universities.

Visitors to the Education Centre receive subject related insight into the recycling production process alongside a guided tour of the factory floor. Each centre is run by a General Teaching Council (GTC) registered teacher, employed full-time by CCE, and supports learning on a variety of subjects, including Business Studies, Science, ICT, Engineering, Design & Technology.

Students from the CordeauxSchoolin Louth were the first to attend the new centre and experience its benefits first hand, taking part in an interactive classroom session and factory tour.

Simon Baldry, managing director of Coca-Cola Enterprises, comments: “We are committed to playing a positive role in the communities in which we operate, and one of the best ways to achieve this is by opening up our sites to support the work of educators. Our Education Centres offer students valuable insight into the world of business, allowing them to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and real-life modern manufacturing practices. Modules taught at Continuum Recycling, as at all of our education centres, link directly to the national curriculum. We look forward to welcoming secondary and further education students to this state-of-the-art facility to experience the site and learn more about the recycling production process.”

New government funding toward training designed to improve the career prospects of women employees is now available to food and drink manufacturing firms across the UK. The funds, initially secured by food and drink skills council Improve, are being used by the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink to make career development training available to over 300 women nationwide.

The Academy is making grants of up to £800 per female trainee available to food and drink companies to cover the cost of tuition. Firms are not required to make a cash investment but simply an in-kind contribution amounting to paid time away from work of an equivalent amount while the employee is training.

“Women make up a much smaller proportion of the overall workforce in food and drink manufacturing compared to other industries and that is particularly true at senior level, says Justine Fosh, Executive Director of the Academy. “More and more opportunities are opening up for women at all levels and with the right training they can not only help push their company forward but accelerate their own career to a new level.”

A new food engineering degree will play its part in tackling the severe shortage of UK engineering graduates according to food and drink industry bosses and the sector skills council.

The pledge follows a Royal Academy of Engineering survey showing that there are too few STEM graduates to meet engineering need across all industries between 2012-2020 and that 100,000 new engineering graduates are needed to stop the UK slipping down international league tables.

The graduate scarcity is causing a hike in starting salaries for engineers while those for other disciplines are falling. Many firms are being forced to look overseas for suitably qualified recruits.

The food and drink industry has been planning the launch of the new engineering degree for about two years and its introduction is timely as all manufacturing sectors compete for highly talented individuals. The new degree will give the industry a strong position in being able to draw from graduates specifically trained in its workings.

“The shortage of engineers has caused intense competition between industries and is particularly important to food and drink businesses where engineering skills relevant to the sector are vital to drive growth and innovation in increasingly hi-tech automated production environments,” says Justine Fosh, executive director of the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink.

“That is why, together with the Food and Drink Federation and major industry players, we have successfully persuaded Government to share the cost with industry, through co-investment from the UKCES Employer Investment Fund, of launching a new degree course dedicated to food engineering at Sheffield Hallam University from 2014.” 

To find out more about how your business can get involved in supporting the new Food Engineering degree, contact Catherine Wright at The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink - c.wright@foodanddrink.nsacedmy.co.uk , call 0845 644 0558 or visit the Academy website at www.foodanddrink.nsacademy.co.uk.

Leatherhead Food Research’s Paul Berryman and Tony Hines MBE have been appointed as Visiting Professors at the University of Reading. The title, which is only awarded for distinction or status in a professional field relating to academia, comes as the University sought to recognise their contributions in establishing the Food Advanced Training Partnership (Food ATP).

The Food ATP is a partnership between leading UK institutions in food and agricultural research, with the aim of providing training to food industry professionals.

Both Berryman and Hines have a distinguished background within the food industry with careers spanning more than 25 years.

Chief Executive, Paul Berryman, previously operated as Research Director at Leatherhead improving the scientific research portfolio and implementing a new science strategy. He has also worked in five different scientific and technical consultancies and has gained six degrees, including the prestigious Mastership in Chemical Analysis, awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a PhD in Science Strategy.

Head of Food Security, Tony Hines (pictured), has delivered training courses and provided consultancy services on Crisis Management, Product Recall, Consumer Complaints and Media Management, for over 20 years. He has also worked closely with the Food Standards Agency and serves as a Trustee of the UK Anaphylaxis Campaign. His MBE is for services to the community, which involved working with the Emergency Services.

Sheffield Hallam University has been named as the successful university to partner the UK food and drink industry in the development of the country’s first dedicated food and drink engineering degree. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink made the announcement after a rigorous selection process to run the unique course which is being developed in response to the need for world-class engineers for the industry.

The food and drink industry needs to recruit 137,000 new employees between 2007-2017 and has been working with employers to identify the skills gaps that they are experiencing amongst potential recruits. Many companies have highlighted a need for highly qualified engineers with a knowledge and understanding of the specialist requirements of food and drink manufacturing. The lack of a specialist course in the UK has led the industry to work towards developing its own and it hopes that Sheffield Hallam will be able to accept the first students in September 2014.

FDF director of human resources, Angela Coleshill says: “We are delighted to be working with Sheffield Hallam to design a degree course that perfectly matches food and drink manufacturers’ needs. We listened closely to our member companies’ expressions of the skills that they require to continue developing the highly regarded products that have put our UK industry at the forefront of innovation.”

Justine Fosh, executive director of the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, comments: “This is an important milestone in redressing gaps in provision for our industry. The role of the National Skills Academy is to work with food businesses to drive up the relevance, quality and accessibility of training and with greater levels of automation in the industry we need higher levels of skills. This activity demonstrates the importance of the industry coming together to support new developments to ensure that they are appropriate to industry needs and sustainable for the future. Sheffield Hallam demonstrated both the skills but also the willingness to listen to industry and develop a new partnership for the future.”

The development of the degree course is being supported through funding from UKCES (UK Commission for Employment and Skills) through the Employer Investment Fund.

Over the coming months, FDF and the National Skills Academywill be working with the university on the development of the course and the food industry has already committed to enhancing the course with work placements for successful students.

More than 5,000 injuries within the UK food and drink manufacturing sector are reported to the Health and Safety Executive each year, representing about a quarter of all the reported injuries in manufacturing. Manual handling and slips and trips are the most common causes of these injuries.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is a safety charity that has been at the heart of accident prevention in the UK and around the world for more than 90 years.

Tom Mullarkey MBE, chief executive of RoSPA.

“Accidents cause loss and suffering to the victims and their loved ones, employers and UK society as a whole,” points out Tom Mullarkey MBE, chief executive of RoSPA. “For this reason, our mission is to save lives and reduce injuries and we do this by promoting safety and the prevention of accidents at work, at leisure, on the road, in the home and through safety education.”

Many of the services offered by RoSPA’s workplace safety department are relevant to firms in the food and drink industry, regardless of whether they are manufacturers, distributors or retailers.

For example, RoSPA’s manual handling training courses, including its new BTEC Manual Handling Trainers (Level 3) course, and risk assessment services have been developed to address one of the major causes of injury in the food and drink sector. Also of particular interest on the training and consultancy front is RoSPA’s forklift truck training and consultancy services on issues such as on-site workplace transport and noise.

Additionally, RoSPA offers a full suite of services to help firms manage occupational road risk, including management solutions like policy reviews, as well as risk assessment and driver training.

RoSPA also offers a wide range of general health and safety training courses that are ideal for occupational safety professionals looking to improve their qualifications or any member of the workforce seeking to increase their knowledge and skills.

Tailored Services

“We pride ourselves on being able to respond to the specific needs of our clients and, as such, we can tailor our services to the requirements of any organisation, regardless of their size. In the food and drink sector, our work brings us into contact with multinationals right the way down to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” explains Tom Mullarkey.

“When working with SMEs, it’s crucial to remember that they are not just smaller versions of large companies: they face distinct challenges when it comes to health and safety. As well as time constraints, tight budgets mean difficult decisions often have to be taken about how to invest appropriately in health and safety, and the recession has only served to increase these pressures. SMEs, for example, may find it difficult to access specialist help on health and safety, including training.”

He elaborates: “We also know that SMEs tend to have higher accident rates and the effects of injuries and ill health on the business can be particularly acute. Accidents can interrupt business continuity, for example, where the prolonged absence of a key member of staff results in significant lost time. Accidents can affect future orders, limit output and damage workforce morale.”

However, the financial cost of complying with health and safety regulations is different in small and large firms. One report has found that, on a per employee basis, SMEs may be spending nearly six times more than larger firms on risk assessment.

“Efforts to raise health and safety standards in smaller businesses, therefore, should be built around the specific challenges they face and should not be overly burdensome in terms of time or financial costs,” he adds.

Health & Safety Achievements 

Another area of RoSPA’s work concerns the recognition of health and safety achievements. Each year, the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards – the largest and longest running awards programme of its type in the UK – provide recognition to firms that are committed to continuous improvement on accident and ill health prevention. More than 80 food and drink manufacturing firms were successful in the RoSPA Awards 2012.

Sector award winners included Premier Foods of St Albans, which won the Food and Drink Manufacturing sector, and Chivas Brothers – Pernod Ricard of Paisley, winner of the International Dilmun Environmental Award (sponsored by GPIC).

Organic yoghurt maker Yeo Valleyprovides a further illustration of RoSPA’s activity within the food and drink industry. In just seven years, Yeo Valley moved from Level 3 to Level 5 (Diamond – the highest level) in RoSPA’s flagship Quality Safety Audit scheme, which provides an in-depth analysis of the specific factors at the heart of an organisation’s safety performance.

“Working with RoSPA enables firms to gain access to our unrivalled suite of services across all areas of safety, enabling them to not only meet their legal and moral responsibilities when it comes to safety and health, but also to enjoy the very real business benefits of effectively managing this area of work,” Tom Mullarkey comments.

He concludes: “For many SMEs, for example, the structure and formality of a risk assessment provides the only process and quality system they have, which they need to differentiate themselves from the ‘cowboys’. For larger companies, particularly in times of slow growth, effective health and safety management results in cultural cohesion, strong leadership and reduced costs from, for example, fewer vehicle fleet collisions or fewer employee absences through ill health.”

For further information visit www.rospa.com.