71: Could apprenticeships be the answer?
Apprentice schemes are in the spotlight, as governments look to encourage young people eager to jump on the path to a rewarding career towards them. With these schemes providing superb on the job, real world training experience, and a rich source of talent for companies we take a look at how the food and nutrition sector has embraced this opportunity with their own apprentice schemes. According to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, food and drink manufacturing needs 140,000 recruits by 2024. As older workers retire and younger recruits are attracted to other more alluring sectors, the industry needs to ensure that it can attract new talent and bridge future skills shortages. Apprenticeships offer huge opportunities for both employers and employees and are seen as vital to the industry’s future. The PM and the Chancellor have both announced that they see apprenticeships as key to restarting the economy post COVID. With this in mind, the latest of a series of Table Talk Podcasts focused on connecting industry, academia and the brightest new recruits investigates apprenticeships and the numerous benefits they offer to the industry as a whole. Joining our panel to provide their unique insight are Professor Sharon Green, Deputy Head and Lead for Apprenticeships and Business Partnerships at the University of Lincoln’s National Centre for Food Manufacturing, Dave Everett, Apprenticeship Training Advisor / Internal Quality Assurance, Young & Co.’s Brewery P.L.C. and Jordan Brosnan, Apprenticeship Ambassador & Reliability Engineer, Coco-Cola European Partners.