Manufacturers bid to reverse skills decline
Food and drink firms are rallying in support of efforts to drive up skills across the industry.
Sector skills council, Improve, said Northern Foods had offered to sponsor 30 students through degree-level food science courses, while the British Soft Drinks Association would sponsor two.
Meanwhile, industry think-tank IGD is talking to universities about allowing graduates to convert their qualification to a food science degree and Jobcentre Plus is also looking to use Improve's skills information database.
"By the time we have talked to everybody there is no question that we will have more people doing food science degrees," said Improve's commercial director Paula Widdowson.
Improve predicted that 118,000 extra recruits will be needed by 2014, including 23,000 more engineers and mechanics, 16,000 craft trade workers, and 38,000 machine operatives.
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