Funding secured for basic skills training in Welsh bakeries - 9th May 08

A food workers union in Wales has secured government funding to help boost the skills of staff in the country’s £1.7 billion food and drink manufacturing industry.

The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) has teamed up with Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, to develop a series of courses in basic skills such as maths, English and IT specifically for the food and drink industry in Wales.

The two-year project has secured £90,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government and is being backed by several big-name companies. The courses are intended to provide a stepping stone towards an apprenticeship and other vocational training and are being developed in response to growing concerns about the employability skills of many young recruits in the industry.

Huw Rees, Improve’s national operations manager in Wales, said: “Employers all over the country are telling us that they are struggling to find suitable candidates even to fill trainee or apprentice positions. We have identified a gap in the provision of basic skills training for new recruits and we are very pleased that the bakery industry is working with us to address the issue.

“This is an important initiative because the food and drink industry in Wales needs more young recruits coming in. Half the workforce is aged 40 or above, meaning a significant proportion of workers are going to hit retirement age in the not too distant future. A new generation must be recruited, and it is vital that we have measures in place to ensure they have the skills needed to move the industry forward.”

Louise Wellington, project manager at the BFAWU, said: “These courses will be of great benefit to our members and to their employers. We want everyone in the industry working in partnership to raise skills levels in order to give workers better prospects in their future careers and help businesses to grow.”

Guidance on the development of the courses is being given by the Basic Skills Agency Cymru. They will be offered on-site at bakeries across Wales, including the newly-opened learning centres at Memory Lane Cakes in Cardiff, and at the RF Brookes and Avana Bakeries’ sites in Newport. Welsh cake producers Braces and bread giant Warburton’s, both also based in Newport, are among the other companies backing the scheme.