First 17 people qualified in Food Manufacturing Excellence Apprenticeships meet Skills Minister
23 May 2012
On May 10th John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills awarded 17 employees of Thorntons PLC with the Improve Proficiency Apprenticeship in Food Manufacturing Excellence (FME) qualification, Level 3. They are the first people in England and Wales to have achieved this.
The qualification takes a year of on-the-job training and encompasses lean manufacturing techniques and workplace culture change. It was specifically designed for the food industry by Improve, the sector skills council for UK Food & Drink manufacturing, following identification of an industry need by its sister organisation, The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink.
John Hayes the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning said: "These apprentices at Thorntons are a shining example of how vocational education can boost productivity and competitiveness and contribute to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
"It is a great honour to present their certificates which they so richly deserve. As the first people in the country to achieve this qualification, their path to success should serve as an inspiration to all."
The new FME qualification is one of the few that benefits both the individual who achieves the qualification and the business that sponsors it. It embraces a philosophy of continuous improvement and culture change to add value throughout the production process; a great challenge in an industry with high employee turnover. It has been a huge success at Thorntons, to the extent that 30 new members of staff have been identified to continue this valuable development programme. Thorntons have also introduced a further level 2 qualification in Process Improvement for an additional 28 staff.
“Thorntons is always looking at ways to invest in its people through training and development. This was a fantastic opportunity for many staff to further their skill set, expand their education and give them a recognised qualification which was designed by our own National Skills Academy for Food & Drink”, said Jonathan Hart, CEO, Thorntons.
Justine Fosh, Director of skills solutions at the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink remarked: "FME training delivers solutions that ensure efficiency gains for the business in the short term and underpin significant growth opportunities for the medium and long term. We are pleased that it has been successfully piloted at Thorntons and is being adopted in many other organisations in the food and drink sector.”
Anthony Knowles of the National Apprenticeship Service expressed his delight at the success of the initiative: “We know that advanced apprenticeships deliver a clear return on investment, producing an economic return of £21 for every £1 of public spending. This new qualification will also provide real business benefits for food and drink employers and can make a huge bottom line impact for employers”.
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