Food manufacturers smash apprenticeship target

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) – which represents food and drink manufacturers in the UK – reports that 5,281 apprenticeships have started since August 2011 in manufacturing businesses. Apprentices now make up 1.3% of the overall food and drink manufacturing workforce – up from 0.4% in 2010/11. The Federation's apprenticeship pledge, launched last year by the first winner of the BBC's The Apprentice series, Tim Campbell, aims to build a pool of talented apprentices that can be developed and deployed across the sector. The FDF also says plans for its forthcoming 'graduate excellence' engineering degree course are going well, with half of the work placements required already pledged. The course launches in September 2014 at Sheffield Hallam University. So far, 23 placements and other offers of support have been pledged by manufacturers including Arla Foods, Burton's Biscuit Company, General Mills, Mars, Nestlé, Premier Foods, United Biscuits and Warburtons. FDF president Jim Moseley said: "With people at the heart of our FDF centenary celebrations next year, I am delighted that we have beaten our Apprenticeship Pledge target by trebling our apprentice numbers in 2012. 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." Owen Paterson, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, said: "The doubling of the number of new apprenticeships in food and drink over the past year is a huge achievement and one of which the industry should be proud."