by Sarah Hills FoodBizDaily.com London
March 10 2010 - Sainsbury’s is to launch “the UK's first supermarket bakery college” and Asda has announced a new ‘young retailer programme’ as grocers and manufacturers are expected to boost training budgets.
The bakery college, in Wellingborough, has been created by Sainsbury’s in partnership with flour supplier Whitworth at one of the supplier’s sites.
The college aims to speed up NVQ training so it takes half the time in order to send more qualified bakers to stores.
Justin King, chief executive of Sainsbury's, said: “The college will get more qualified bakers into our stores more quickly, which will improve the quality of our offer at the same time as providing our colleagues with the skills they need to carve out a long and rewarding career in retail.”
King is also to highlight the significant role the grocery industry can play in economic growth and as a provider of skills and employment, at the IGD Food & Grocery Industry Skills & Employment Summit today.
He will say: “The food industry could be the cornerstone of job creation and economic growth over the coming decade.
“Food and grocery represents almost half of all retail sales and food is the biggest manufacturing sector.
“So as planners and policy makers look to the future and develop ways to reinvigorate the UK economy, they ought to have food industry at the front of their minds.”
Meanwhile Asda announced that it is launching a new retail programme for young people, helping them gain experience and develop skills.
From May Asda will offer up to 15,000 youngsters, aged 14-to-16, a week’s worth of work experience and give 15,000 of existing colleagues the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised apprenticeship.
It comes as research published by IGD found that 80% of food manufacturers and retailers expect to increase their training and development budget per head over the next ten years, with 19% of companies expecting it to increase by more than 25%.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD, said: “Even in tough times, it's crucial for companies to keep investing in skills and harness the talent and energy of a new generation.”