Employers need to “demand to take on apprentices” to boost the uptake of the qualification across sectors in Wales.
Speaking to Business News Wales’ Food and Drink podcast, Terry Fennell, CEO of FDQ, said Wales is “punching below its weight” in terms of take-up of food and drink apprenticeships – something he thinks is down to employers being unaware of the qualifications and their benefits.
He added that if a greater number of employers showed an interest in apprenticeships it would incentivise more colleges and training providers to offer the qualifications.
FDQ provides apprentice end-point assessments and qualifications for the food and drink industry in Wales, England and Northern Ireland.
Currently there is greater provision for food and drink apprenticeships in some parts of Wales than in others, said Terry. But this lack of consistency in provision could be overcome if employers knew more about the programmes that they could potentially access and then start to ask for them.
“Supply and demand is a challenge for the sector,” said Terry.
“Employers need to demand that they want to take on apprentices, and then more colleges and training providers will come into the market and deliver the programme.”
CBI Wales has called for businesses to be allowed to co-design Wales’ devolved apprenticeships programme to ensure employees have the skills to capitalise on emerging growth opportunities.
In a briefing paper -‘The business of apprenticeships’ – the organisation calls for a greater choice of apprenticeships, more approved training providers and sector-specific programmes.
It highlights that apprenticeships are worth £18 to the economy per £1 spent on them, adding that barriers to employers investing in apprenticeships need to be identified and removed.
Speaking on the Skills Wales podcast Russell Greenslade, director of CBI Wales, said:
“A refreshed approach to apprenticeships is needed. Collectively, that’s the message we’re getting and we’re here to help.
“To future proof the labour market and skills, we need to have more input into apprenticeships, so we can help shape what’s needed in growing sectors. Off-the-shelf apprenticeships, as an example, don’t necessarily fit in with the growth that we’ve got coming through in green skills.”
Nia Griffith, engagement manager for North Wales at Food & Drink Skills Wales, which is run by Mentera, said that according to National Statistics data, 64% of those who complete an apprenticeship stay with the same employer.
“Companies that take apprentices are looking at the long term,” said Nia.
“They’re not looking at the short term of getting someone to bridge them over a staffing issue for a year or two. They are really looking at the long term.
“Apprenticeships are…very much an investment in the future workforce of that company.”
Ellen Wakelam is company director and founder of In the Welsh Wind Distillery, based near Cardigan. The business produces gin, vodka and rum, and has diversified into producing a single malt whisky crafted from locally grown grain which is malted, distilled and matured on site.
Ellen was a geography teacher and her partner Alexander a baker before they launched the distillery. They have taken on seven apprentices as they have grown the business.
She told the Food and Drink podcast:
“We taught ourselves how to distill and then when we expanded our team, we learned together. We looked for the apprenticeship schemes that were available, and as it stands, there isn’t a distilling apprenticeship. Now I’ve heard rumours that it’s coming, but as it stands, there isn’t one. So we’ve had to go on the brewing apprenticeships and then tailor it around what we do here.
“We did have somebody on a hospitality and leadership apprenticeship, which was brilliant. It’s those sort of soft skills that come through training…that are really going to be important as we move forward.”
Ellen said that she saw investing in training and upskilling as an important contribution to the food and drink industry in Wales as a whole, as it boosts the talent pool of skilled individuals.
Chris Butt is founder and CEO of DeepLearnHS, which integrates AI technologies, neuroscience and behavioural insights, working with schools as well as further and higher education to support the transition into apprenticeships and placements.
He told Business News Wales’ Innovation and Technology Wales podcast that the education system needed a “structural reform”.
A focus on lifelong learning, rather than learning ending after school or university, is needed if businesses and employees are to keep up with the pace of technological change, he said.
“Human skills – things like adaptability, communication – as well as technical skills…need to be reflected in the training and the apprenticeships that are available,” he said.
“There are apprenticeships that are doing it. Obviously a lot of businesses are unaware of it, so education is required to get that message out there.”
