The current COVID-19 crisis has impacted severely on all sectors but businesses are also considering how they will adapt in the future in an ever changing world. The food and drink manufacturing sector is no different and a new jobs site has been launched with the aim of matching vacant posts with relevant job seekers.
The new service is launched by Food Skills Cymru, a programme delivered by Lantra which supports businesses of all sizes within the Welsh food and drink sector, ensuring employees have the right skills and training for their business and the wider industry as a whole.
Working across all sectors within the industry, it helps employees adapt to economic and environmental challenges and capitalise on opportunities for business development and growth. In the current climate this has become more relevant and important than ever.
The new initiative will link in closely with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) with the aim of matching job opportunities with relevant skilled people as Sarah Lewis, Project Manager for Food Skills Cymru explains:
“Our aspiration as a project is to help strengthen the food and drink sector in Wales by equipping employees working in the industry with the appropriate skills and relevant training programmes."
“The current COVID-19 crisis has required us, as with so many other organisations, to adapt our work programmes, and we are currenty looking at how we can support businesses to consider what kind of workforce they will need as we emerge from this current crisis."
“Working with the DWP we hope to be able to quickly and effectively match work opportunities with appropriately skilled job seekers across Wales.”
The food and drink industry and the whole supply chain is very important to the Welsh economy. Almost 20% of all employment in Wales lies within the food and drink sector and it contributes approximately £6.9 billion in sales revenue.
Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs believes this service is very timely,
“What we are seeing now is that businesses are proactively planning for life after Covid-19. They are very much looking at their workforce and how it can be strengthened to be more resilient and adaptable to their future needs."
“Within such a key sector as food and drink it is vitally important that the skillsets are well matched and this new and very important service will provide the industry with the personnel required to move forward in these most challenging of times.”
The new site can be seen at www.foodskills.cymru
The Food Skills Cymru programme can also offer training support to businesses up to September 2021 and further information is available through contacting Food Skills Cymru on wales@lantra.co.uk or calling 01982 552646.
Food Skills Cymru is funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.