United Biscuits invites students to Manchester factory

United Biscuits has invited students to visit its McVitie’s factory in Manchester, UK, as part of a government-led initiative to encourage young people to take up a career in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

The company is one of the several food companies participating in the See Inside Manufacturing (SIM) initiative, which is being led by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

McVitie’s Manchester training coordinator, Lesley Flood, said the company is trying to change students’ views by showing them the great career opportunity offered by the manufacturing sector.

"We have a wide range of entrance levels from unskilled to apprentices, graduates and technical experts," said Flood.

The SIM programme aims to expose young people to the food and drink, automotive and aerospace industries, encouraging them to pursue careers in these sectors.

As part of the programme, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents food and drink manufacturing industry in the UK, has partnered with the BIS. The partnership will allow 1,250 people to visit food and drink companies across the UK to gain an understanding of the manufacturing operations.

It is estimated that the UK food and drink sector, which currently employs over 400,000 people, will need need around 137,000 new recruits by 2017, according to the FDA.

The FDF has also launched the ‘Taste Success – A Future in Food’ programme, through which it showcases the wide range of job opportunities available in the sector.

FDF communications director, Terry Jones, said that helping young people to know more about a career in food and drink is a key priority for the FDF, and the main driver behind the campaign.

"Programmes such as See Inside Manufacturing support this work by offering an invaluable opportunity for young people, teachers and careers advisers to learn more about food and drink manufacturing and what a great career choice it is," said Jones.

In December 2011, the FDF, together with the UK government, launched a shared vision to achieve 20% growth in food and drink manufacturing by 2020, by gaining new export markets, and attracting the best talent to the industry.

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Image: Students visited McVitie’s factory in Manchester to see how products are manufactured. Photo: courtesy of FDF.