The UK National Skills Academy for food and drink is extending its support for industry development with the addition of six new members to its training provider network.
In partnership with the Sector Skills Council Improve, the National Skills Academy (NSA) for food and drink has been working to develop a comprehensive network of accredited training providers for a variety of production and business needs.
Today the NSA announced that its Food Manufacturing Excellence network was to be augmented by the addition of three new organisations. Develop-U, a Rotherham-based business improvement training specialist, lean manufacturing implementation experts Leanpal, and Stoke-on-Trent-based Valkyrie Support Services, which specialises in training services aimed at driving efficiency and productivity.
Addressing business needs and professional skills development at management level, Manchester’s Total Excellence Centre, an Institute of Leadership and Management-accredited training provider, joins the Leadership and Management network. The Academy also welcomes Whitchurch-based Shropshire Training to its meat and poultry network and Wiltshire Enterprise, the commercial training division of Wiltshire College to the General Food and Drink training network.
With food and drink holding the title of largest UK manufacturing sector the development of industry skills will play a critical role in stabilising the national economy, particularly as the industry advances into an era of new manufacturing technology and process innovation. The NSA training provider network is designed to help facilitate this advance and identify quality providers for a range of key skills across UK regions.
Justine Fosh, director of skills solutions at the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, said: “Our network of training providers continues to grow, meaning we can reach out and support more and more companies with world-class training services geared towards delivering real business benefits.
“I am especially pleased to be able to welcome three new members to our Food Manufacturing Excellence network, which greatly enhances the resources we can make available to employers in areas such as lean manufacturing, sustainability and business improvement.”
The influence of Sector Skills Council, Improve, on the growth of the training provider network ensures that network providers are relevant to the real need of business and that employers can give direct input into the way that industry support develops. The network now includes more than 70 providers aligned to sectoral needs and with consideration to regional distribution.
