Helping employers to drive up profits through skills
21st Jun 2010
Letter to Food Manufacture
I was interested to read the thoughts of David Gregory, chairman of Assured Food Standards, on how the sector skills councils associated with the food and drink industry should work more closely and co-ordinate their efforts to “enable skills transfer across the industry” (We need a new approach to lifelong skills learning, June 2010).
I agree with him wholeheartedly. Indeed, Improve has been pursuing this very issue with our counterparts at other sector skills councils as well as the government. To progress this we have set up a Food Supply Chain Cluster of food related Sector Skills Councils who are actively working together with all relevant stakeholders to create a single, cohesive vision for developing the workforce across the food and drink supply chain.
The entire food supply chain, from manufacturing and processing, catering and retail, to farming and agriculture, has a turnover of £155 billion and employs 3.6 million people. By seeing these activities as an integrated joined-up system, food and drink can play a major role in re-vitalising the UK economy.
It makes sense for us to work with a common purpose on driving a skills agenda which will allow us to meet our future performance priorities and help achieve sustainability and security in our food supply.
As David Gregory says, the need to create training programmes which are relevant, flexible and efficient to help keep costs to a minimum and allow for skills transfer across the various sectors of the supply chain is vital.
Improve and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing are already pursuing this goal. Our Improve Proficiency Qualifications (IPQs) have been developed in consultation with employers specifically for the food and drink industry to build flexible, work-relevant skills.
We believe this new type of flexible qualification will help boost trust and engagement in training and offer a unique opportunity for employers and employees alike. We are keen to look at opportunities for tying in work we are doing in this area with what our partners are doing across the supply chain.
For further information, go to www.improve-skills.co.uk.
From Jack Matthews, chief executive of Improve, the food and drink sector skills council.
Ends
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.
