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News Release from: Improve | Subject: Food manufacturing apprenticeships
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 February 2007
Food manufacturing apprenticeships
reviewed
Consultation with UK food and drink manufacturing employers starts in March, 2007, on plans for an entirely new framework for apprenticeship programmes.
A major drive to revitalise apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing has been launched by Improve, the sector skills council Consultation with employers starts in March on plans for an entirely new framework for apprenticeship programmes, which will make them more attractive and accessible to a much wider range of employees, as well as making them easier and cheaper for employers and training providers to deliver
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 17 Mar 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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"This will be a crucial reform," said Jack Matthews, chief executive of Improve.
"Recently the number of apprentices in training in our sector went into steep decline because of an earlier revamp which, although well-intentioned, didn't address employers' needs properly.
Since Improve was formed, and took over responsibility for apprenticeships, we have changed the elements that were causing problems, and now we are seeing an upturn in numbers, but we need a much bigger reform to open up apprenticeships to a lot more people." He said: "Completed apprenticeships in food and drink manufacturing subjects at Level 2 have doubled in the last two years from 332 to 668, but the numbers remain disappointingly small compared to other industries, where people complete apprenticeships in their thousands every year." Currently apprenticeships are available only in general food and drink manufacturing, meat and poultry processing, and bakery.
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Central to the new proposal is the introduction of one, all-embracing, flexible framework, which can be adapted to meet the specific needs of any of the 10 sub-sectors within food and drink manufacturing, from dairy and fresh-produce processing, through to soft-drink manufacturing, and brewing, or distilling.
After consultation with employers, the same expansion of flexibility has already been applied to the reform of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in food and drink manufacturing.
The first of the new-style qualifications will be available from September, from which time new learning units can be developed for sub-sectors other than meat and poultry and bakery, rapidly expanding the reach of these qualifications.
This was a crucial first step because completing an NVQ or SVQ is one of the main elements in an apprenticeship programme.
Development work on the proposed new apprenticeship framework will continue through to September when it is hoped it will be signed off by the apprenticeship approval groups for England, Wales, and Scotland, and be available for launch from November.
In the meantime, Improve is already preparing to run a second tranche of Young Apprenticeship programmes for 14 to 16-year-old starters, and it is also hoped that later this year England will follow Wales in removing the upper age limit of 24 for apprentices.
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