SMT expands into England

New learning opportunities for the Food Manufacturing sector in the North East are bringing true results for employers and individuals alike – thanks to partnership working, a small pot of funding and grasping onto the latest Government thinking – known as Skills Activism whereby employers are able to shape the delivery of skills development.

Three years ago employers expressed a need for new skills in the Food Manufacturing sector. Much work has been done to ensure that training providers can work differently to give people the skills required to meet sector demands, supported with a £15,000 cash injection from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East.

This has seen an increase in learning opportunities and the development of a new learning infrastructure in Food Manufacturing in the region, resulting in both employer based learning (funded through Train to Gain) and Apprenticeships , come to fruition.

Now over 60 employees are currently in training and hoping to achieve the Production Control Skills Pathway at National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2. This learning is funded through Train to Gain. A further five employers have recruited Apprentices in Food Manufacture and are following the Butchery Pathway developed by Improve Ltd, the Sector Skills Council for Food and Drink Manufacturing.

The LSC North East has also brought in Scottish Meat Training to deliver NVQ's. Scottish Meat Training has developed a relationship with Darlington College to jointly deliver Apprenticeships in Meat and Poultry – resulting in the first Butchery Apprenticeship in the region.

One employer benefiting from the new learning opportunities on offer is Country Harvest Farm Foods, who are based in Darlington and are a wholesale supplier of meat, poultry, game, cooked meats and frozen food. Country Harvest Farm Foods employ 12 people at their Tees Valley production unit and have taken full advantage of the learning that's now on offer at Darlington College. They got involved with the college very quickly, eager to give existing staff opportunities to gain formal qualifications , through Train to Gain, enhancing the jobs they are currently undertaking.

Three existing members of staff – Chris McNamee, aged 52, Adrian Bonas, aged 43 and Ian Milne aged 47 – have begun NVQ's in Butchery and a further two members of staff – Ian Gallagher aged 35 and Chris Randle aged 41 – are undertaking NVQ's in Food Operation.

Jeff Abbott, Company Secretary, Country Harvest Farm Foods said:
“The training on offer at Darlington College gives our staff opportunity to gain qualifications for the job they are currently doing. The training is job specific and relevant to all five members of our team. For our organisation, having more staff formally recognised and qualified makes a huge difference, in terms of the confidence it gives individuals and the way new skills can enhance quality and output. We are also looking to enhance the skills make-up of the company further by recruiting an Apprentice in Butchery.”

Chris Roberts, chief operating officer, LSC added: “I am delighted that Darlington College in partnership with reputable industry learning providers such as Scottish Meat Training have been able to work together to meet the needs of food manufacturers across the region following what was a relatively small initial investment from the LSC.”

The £15,000 funding to develop the project was used to:
– update and refresh industrial experience for a NVQ Assessor to return to the sector;
– recruit an Associate Internal Verification team to ensure Darlington College developed new systems and procedures to for Award Body centre approval;
– support the training for college staff involved in Train to Gain;
– produce learning materials to assist TTG candidates
– support marketing and promotional costs of informing Food Manufacturing companies of Train to Gain and Apprenticeships .

Terry Fennell, Director of Employer Engagement at Darlington College said: “Food Manufacture, Train to Gain and the associated pathways covering Butchery, Bakery and Production Control figured prominently in our recent Ofsted inspection. There was much interest in this new, exciting area of learning, the quality of provision and the satisfaction level of employers. Inspectors found strong sub-contracts in place and excellent satisfaction from learners and employers who reported positively on the support and responsiveness of our college. We are delighted to be at the forefront of this new area of work and to be addressing such a significant skills need.”

Darlington College forecast for 2009/10 for the success to continue, with an anticipated 100 employers committing to learning through Train to Gain, with an expected 80% success rate, and a further 40 Apprenticeship starts, with an anticipated 75% success rate of completion.

A number of companies, including Kerry Sweet Ingredients, a winner at the LSC North East Celebration of Learning and Skills Awards 2009, County Harvest Foods, Prima Cheese Limited, Holmesteme Foods and Cooplands are amongst those employers that have capitalised on the Train to Gain offer, whilst a number more are expected to start training during the summer months.

Sandra Giddy, General Manager at Scottish Meat Training concluded: “Scottish Meat Training has worked with the LSC North East and Darlington College to share the knowledge and experience that we have built up delivering training north of the border over the last 25 years. We have been able to assist in the development of a new learning framework that is benefiting employers and individuals whilst addressing a particular need in the North East.

“This is an exciting development for Scottish Meat Training and it's great to be part of such a successful venture. We have been increasingly aware of employers demand for specialist training and companies like Country Harvest Farm Foods in Darlington have benefited.”