News article
9 July 2012
Food industry announces University provider for first food engineering degree
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PRESS RELEASE
Sheffield Hallam University has been named as the successful university to
partner the UK food and drink industry in the development of the country's
first
dedicated food and drink engineering degree.
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), in partnership with the National Skills
Academy for Food and Drink made the announcement after a rigorous selection
process
to run the unique course which is being developed in response to the need for
world-class engineers for the industry.
The food and drink industry needs to recruit 137,000 new employees between 2007
-2017 and has been working with employers to identify the skills gaps that they
are experiencing amongst potential recruits. Many companies have highlighted a
need for highly qualified engineers with a knowledge and understanding of the
specialist requirements of food and drink manufacturing. The lack of a
specialist
course in the UK has led the industry to work towards developing its own and it
hopes that Sheffield Hallam will be able to accept the first students in
September 2014.
FDF Director of Human Resources, Angela Coleshill said:
“We are delighted to be
working with Sheffield Hallam to design a degree course that perfectly matches
food and drink manufacturers' needs. We listened closely to our member
companies'
expressions of the skills that they require to continue developing the highly
regarded products that have put our UK industry at the forefront of
innovation.”
Justine Fosh, Executive Director of the National Skills Academy for Food &
Drink
said:
“This is an important milestone in redressing gaps in provision for our
industry. The role of the National Skills Academy is to work with food
businesses
to drive up the relevance, quality and accessibility of training and with
greater levels of automation in the industry we need higher levels of skills.
This
activity demonstrates the importance of the industry coming together to support
new
developments to ensure that they are appropriate to industry needs and
sustainable for the future. Sheffield Hallam demonstrated both the skills but
also the
willingness to listen to industry and develop a new partnership for the
future.”
The development of the degree course is being supported through funding from
UKCES. Jeremy Horton, Senior Investment Manager at the UKCES said:
“From a
field
containing such strong competition, I am delighted that Sheffield Hallam
University has been selected. The UK Commission fully supports this initiative
and we
look forward to seeing how our investment in Food Production Engineering will
benefit both the sector and individuals studying at this new centre of
excellence.”
Dr Martin Howarth, Head of Engineering and Mathematics at Sheffield Hallam
University said:
“Sheffield Hallam is delighted to have been selected as the
university to develop this course and centre of excellence. The project builds
on our
strong track record of providing excellent engineering education in partnership
with leading industrial employers.”
Over the coming months, FDF and the National Skills Academy will be working with
the university on the development of the course and the food industry has
already committed to enhancing the course with work placements for successful
students.
Notes to Editors:
- The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is the voice of the food and drink
manufacturing industry – the UK's largest manufacturing sector.
- About the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink
The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink is a sister organisation to
Improve, the skills council for the UK food and drink sector. The Academy was
created
in 2007 to facilitate sector specific training provision to drive up sector
productivity and competitiveness in line with employer needs. Training provider
organisations that become part of the Academy undergo rigorous quality checks
and
include both publicly and privately funded learning centres. Each delivers some
aspect of skills development for the food and drink manufacturing industry as a
whole, and/or specialist skills for one of its various sub-sectors.
- UKCES - This project has received co-investment from the UK Commission for
Employment and Skills through the Employer Investment Fund.
More information
FDF press Team:
Nicki Hunt on or 020 7420 7132 - nicki.hunt@fdf.org.uk
Avni Raval or 020 7420 7131 - Avni.Raval@fdf.org.uk
Anna Taylor or 020 7420 7118 - anna.taylor@fdf.org.uk
National Skills Academy for Food & Drink Amy Crooks, Marketing Manager
Tel: 01904 754 717
Mobile: 07824 646296
Email: a.crooks@foodanddrink.nsacademy.co.uk
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