Changing consumer habits and the rising importance of allergen management are just a couple of reasons why new opportunities are popping up in the industry. Whilst this has created a number of new roles, there’s a lack of candidates for these fresh positions.
And, this supply and demand issue is only looking to worsen. There are 140,000 new recruits required by 2024. Seasoned workers will be retiring, and other sectors are successfully ensnaring young workers.
However, this doesn’t mean that the food manufacturing industry can’t. In fact, sourcing those just starting out could be the driver for pushing it forward. Specifically,
apprenticeships will be a key part of food manufacturing’s future – yet they’re currently rare compared to other industries.
Here, we discuss exactly how offering an apprenticeship could boost your SME or start-up.
Related training
Considering there’s a skills gap for areas such as quality assurance and engineering, you could ensure they’re filled by hiring someone who will learn on the job.
Not only will you be able to train them with the precise abilities, but they’ll also be unlikely to bring over any bad habits. Apprentices aren’t all school leaver age – in fact, there are 25+ adult apprenticeships. So, if you hire someone who’s used to alternate practices, you can ensure they’re trained on the right ones.
Overall business benefits
Apprenticeships have shown their worth in the stats too. It’s been found that they boost overall productivity. The business can take advantage of not only this, but by the increased competitiveness apprenticeships empowers them to have.
This is especially because once your apprentices are all trained up with the correct skill set, they’re more likely to stay with you. Employers who invest in their team’s training provide a value that results in increased employee engagement and retention.
Cost savings
One of the best parts of hiring apprentices is that it will cost you a lot less than training someone who isn’t an apprentice. Their salaries are a much smaller figure than hiring a person who may have experience, but not the relevant set of skills. Plus, there may be funding available to cover part, or in some cases, all of the training.
A key pot of financing is the Apprenticeship Levy. However, unfortunately, many SMEs haven’t been able to reap the rewards of it owing to them not actually being able to pay into it themselves.
Although, there are steps being taken to make apprenticeship funding more accessible to all businesses across the food and drink manufacturing supply chain. And, whilst there’s currently not a huge range of industry-related apprenticeships, they are becoming more popular. For example, in 2019 a degree-level packaging industry qualification for apprenticeships was created. This is particularly beneficial as it’s a candidate-short market.
And this is the exact type of talent we recruit for at Silven . As specialists for senior and mid-level roles across the entire food and drink manufacturing sector, our expertise is unrivalled. Plus, we use the latest tech, ensuring the chances of a perfect client-candidate fit is maximised.
Resultantly, both SMEs and market leaders put their trust in us. You can gain an unfair advantage too. Just get in touch with the Silven team today.