UK’s new Food Engineering Degree meets industry support target
The UK’s first-ever Food Engineering Degree has reached a major milestone with over 40 leading food and drink businesses now pledging practical industry support to students.
The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, which has partnered with the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Sheffield Hallam University to create the new MEng degree, today named Yorkshire-based Fosters Bakery, a business member of the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, as the 40th business to pledge direct support.
In addition, Arla Foods is leading the way in a new “Pledge Plus” approach which will see them recruit and employ a young person interested in engineering and support them right through the MEng course.
Arla is of one of a number of businesses exploring the Pledge Plus approach as a way of forging an assured engineering recruitment pipeline. Firms are being encouraged to come together to ensure that terms and conditions, salaries and methodology can be shared. Primarily aimed at new recruits, existing employees could also be accepted onto the MEng degree via the Pledge Plus route
“The design of the MEng study programme really lends itself to on and off the job training. The key difference with Pledge Plus students is that rather than undertaking three blocks of work placements at a range of businesses, they return to their own employer,” says Skills Academy CEO Justine Fosh.
“Businesses gain the certainty that their engineering recruitment pipeline is being filled while students gain immediate employment, a starting salary and a strong sense of belonging to their business.”
While food engineering degree partners Sheffield Hallam University, The Food & Drink Federation and the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink, are still welcoming additional business involvement, the “First 40” have pledged a wide range of support including:
- Paid industrial placements worth £15k-17k pro-rata
- 12-week and 30-week undergraduate placements
- Employment opportunities subject to final grades
- Industry guest lectures
Continuing growth in confirmed support pledges from businesses, including firms such as Arla Foods, PepsiCo UK, Nestlé UK, Pork Farms and Premier Foods plc, mean the total number of companies providing different forms of direct support for the degree course could nudge 50 by the time it opens to its first students in September.
“Having over 40 businesses of every shape and size fully engaged in the new degree has always been a key goal. With that landmark achieved, we can guarantee every student a choice of paid work placements across the full breadth of sector businesses – from bakers to seafood and soft drinks to meat products,” says Academy CEO Justine Fosh.