What does it offer?

The Academy will offer a range of sector specific and generic learning via a range of virtual, distance and site based learning mechanisms.

As the Academy develops learning programmes will be available to meet the needs of all the different food and drink sub-sectors including:

• Bakery
• Brewery
• Dairy
• Distillery
• Drinks Manufacturing
• Food Manufacturing and Processing
• Fresh Produce
• Meat and Poultry
• Seafish
• Confectionery

Specialist training areas will also be made available in functional areas of learning such as production management, lean manufacturing, management and leadership, hygiene skills for food and many more.

What will it deliver?

• A minimum of 28,000 and a maximum of 45,000 new learners will be trained through the Academy Centres and online hub. This could be up to 10% of the Food and Drink workforce.
• Learn Direct will also be using the online National Skills Academy to host some of their training programmes covering areas including IT, food hygiene, health and safety, interpersonal skills and team working.
• The National Skills Academy IT hub will also be a useful resource for free business tools which will help promote productivity and best practice across the food and drink sector.
• The first of the new paid-for training programmes to be available from April 2007 will be “Production Management: A Lean Approach”. Grimsby Institute have developed this course, which will be delivered through blended e-learning. Grimsby will support the learners through hard copy material, telephone and email routes, using the National Skills Academy Hub to host the material. This programme has already been through extensive product testing with nine major blue chip food and drink companies including Arla Foods (dairy), Greencore (general foods), Kerry Foods (branded and own label convenience foods), Moy Park (fast moving chilled goods), Muller UK (dairy/snacks), Nestle (confectionery), Northern Foods (chilled and frozen ready meals), Warburtons (bakery) and Young’s Bluecrest (sea-fish processing).

Employer involvement