Kepak offers 200 funded training courses

The Food Passports initiative will give participants the opportunity to complete courses related to the food and drink industry, which in turn will help to kickstart a career with the company – Kepak guaranteed an interview to every candidate who complete the courses.

Kepak has pledged to fund 100 training courses, with the NSAFD match-funding an additional 100, taking the total to 200.

Developing skills​

Commenting on Kepak’s involvement with the scheme, early careers manager Cian Short said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining the food industry with many opportunities to start a career at Kepak being offered and the Food Passport scheme is a great way of gaining industry knowledge alongside developing necessary skills. ​

“Being the first food business to pledge training places and through our partnership with the NSA supporting initiatives like the Food Passport scheme, we will hopefully encourage many to consider a career in the industry with long term career prospects. ​

“At Kepak we are committed to supporting local communities and being a good employer, and this investment is further evidence of that commitment in action.”​

Sites nationwide​

Training places are available across Scotland, England and Wales at four Kepak sites in Aberdeen, Kirkham, Bodmin and Merthyr, which recently received a £5.5m investment to help meet rising demand for products.

NSAFD chief executive Louise Cairns added: “Since it's national launch last year, the Passport has gained considerable support as an innovative new recruitment route and it’s excellent to have businesses like Kepak on board and pledging preferential recognition including guaranteed interviews for holders.”​

Meanwhile, food manufacturers are failing to use all their apprenticeship levy contribution​​ and should use these as a training tool for existing staff, a leading apprenticeship supplier has claimed.