Food and Drink

As a food scientist, a food technologist or product designer, you could help create the products of the future. And, there’s a growing demand for engineering roles like agricultural engineer, electrical engineer and mechanical engineer within the industry. There continues to be significant career opportunities across all occupations within the Food and Drink sector, the biggest in Scotland. We’ll always need food, so there will always be jobs! The sector will need 19,000 bright and highly trained new recruits by 2024 to meet skills needs, and by working towards the Foundation Apprenticeship in Food and Drink Technologies, you can be part of it.

What will I learn?
Your National Progression Award (NPA) will cover topics like:

• Food Manufacturing: Fundamentals of Food Science
• Food Manufacturing: Food Production
• Food Manufacturing: Commercial and Social Drivers
• Food Manufacturing: Sustainability
• Elementary Food Hygiene
• Elementary Health and Safety

Your learning will be hands-on, reflecting the practical nature of food manufacturing and the SVQ units will be assessed when you are in a work placement. During this time, you’ll learn how to develop a new product in a food business, improve food safety in manufacture, develop working relationships with colleagues and promote and support creative thinking in a food business.

Your Foundation Apprenticeship will also help you to develop core skills valued by employers, particularly communication, problem solving, working with others and time management. These transferable skills are necessary and highly desirable for working in a range of other related jobs.

Entry requirements:
A good level of English (National 5). Taking a Science or Food Technology subject would be an advantage.