Signing will offer firms the benefit of reduced administrative burden, said the federation. The FDF and its partners have promised to support food manufacturers through the process of developing and implementing an apprenticeship programme and to ensure firms have access to the maximum funding available and training providers to meet the needs of individual food and drink manufacturers.
Angela Coleshill, FDF’s director of competitiveness, said: “The future sustainability of the food industry is highly dependent on the skills of its workforce and its ability to innovate. With over a third of the workforce due to retire in the next five years, and the current shortage of technicians, apprenticeships will be a key mechanism for the industry to attract talent for the future.”
Workshop
Yesterday, October 27, the FDF in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink (NSAFD) and the National Apprenticeship Service, hosted a workshop for food manufacturers to showcase the benefits that apprentices can bring to their businesses.
Justine Fosh, NSAFD, said that in the past, apprenticeships have been seen as mainly relevant to engineering roles. “But this is simply not the case - there are now apprenticeships for the food sector that cover the whole range of job roles in the industry - from craft baker to continuous improvement manager, meat processor to milling operative,” said Fosh.