Alliance aims to fill skills gap in packaging
Given the involvement of the FDF and the PPMA’s processing equipment membership, the scheme will also cover other food–and drink–related technologies. But UK head of the IOPP Kevin Vyse said he hopes for 10 apprenticeships a year to target packaging skills. He said: “That’s where the skills gap is.”
Plugging that gap could involve everything from constructing robots to materials science and packaging line management.
It is hoped that Marks & Spencer (M&S) will play a part in supporting the scheme, though there has been no official confirmation of this. Firms such as Greencore are known to be interested in the plan and, potentially, in offering the work experience component. The aim is for City of Bristol College to provide BTEC Level 3 apprenticeships.
Don’t have their own people
Vyse, who is also now chilled food chain packaging manager at M&S, experiences that skills gap every day. “All I’m doing in my new position is visiting suppliers and advising them on different aspects of packaging technology, because they don’t have their own people with these skills,” he explained.
On a general note, Vyse added: "The government told us the way we’ve been doing apprenticeships is not good enough."
At the PPMA, head of marketing and publishing Grant Collier explained: “The last government did away with a lot of technical colleges, and placed the emphasis on degree courses. But now, whether it’s at university or apprenticeship level, industry is saying there’s a mismatch with its own requirements.” He added: “And at school-leaving age, kids tend not to want to go into the engineering industry. It’s an image issue.”
Like Vyse, Collier identified robotics and automation as one of the key gaps in UK applied engineering skills. The PPMA Group includes the British Automation and Robot Association.
Having a retailer as sponsor of the scheme would be a huge bonus. But as many will have noted, even when retailers put their name and goodwill behind projects of this sort, it tends to be their suppliers that cover the costs.
Not set in stone
The January target is not set in stone. Vyse said: “It’s best to take the time necessary to get it right rather than go early and get it wrong.”
Collier at the PPMA says 178,000 new entrants to the food and drink industry will be required up to 2020 just to make up for those retiring.
Meanwhile, not everyone is critical of the progress made. According to the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, the number of apprenticeships undertaken in its sector grew by 85% in the two years to 2012.
