Apprenticeships to boost skills

The British Growers Association is joining forces with EDGE Careers and City & Guilds to help boost skills and apprenticeships in the UK’s food and farming industry, in support of Defra’s 25 year strategy.

The initiative comes after research compiled by British Growers revealed that despite growers being positive about recommending young people to enter the UK horticulture industry – with 42% of growers rating the horticultural sector more than five out of ten for attracting young people – only 15% of respondents said they’d used an apprenticeship scheme.

One of Defra’s plenary headlines from its 25 year strategy event meeting was to focus on the quality and quantity of apprenticeships across the horticultural sector.

Jack Ward, chief executive of British Growers, says, “By joining forces now with EDGE Careers and City & Guilds, we believe that together, we can be at the forefront of Defra’s plans for an industry left 25-year strategy, helping to promote British brands, develop industry experts, improve skills, attract young talent and high-flyers and harness data and technology so the industry can innovate grow and create more jobs and apprenticeships on behalf of the fresh produce sector.”

The UK’s food and farming industry is already an economic powerhouse, worth over £100 billion a year, and it is thought that apprenticeships will create a stronger brand for British food and drink that will see quality produce enjoyed in the UK and exported around the globe.

Commenting on the new cross industry initiative, Richard Self, project manager at EDGE Careers, says, “Apprenticeships have shown to be a popular option for many young people and their employers, offering the benefits of learning ‘on the job’ with the back-up of more formal training and qualifications.”