The National Skills Academy (NSA) for Food & Drink secured £250,000 from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills for women’s career development. Once this Employer Investment Fund (EIF) is matched with employers’ in-kind contributions, the total funding for the project amounts to £625,743.
Sukky Jassi, head of research and policy at food and drink skills council Improve, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “It’s about giving women the opportunity to undertake more training and help them onto the next rung of the food manufacturing ladder.
The EIF will be used to make career development training available to more than 300 women nationwide. Grants will be awarded of up to £800 per applicant.
£800 per applicant
The business needs to contribute 125% of the course cost, either in time or wages. For example, funding of £800 would require £1,000 to be matched in wage costs and in time from the employer. Funding of £100 would need to be matched by £125 in wage costs.
Women represent 32% of the workforce in the food and drink manufacturing sector, versus an average of 46% across all industries, according to figures from the Labour Force Survey from the Office of National Statistics.
“The biggest challenge we have to overcome is the perception of the type of work available,” said Jassi.
“Many of the occupations are perceived as manual work on a plant, which isn’t appealing to women. The industry has become more automated and there’s less heavy manual work but attitudes have not changed at the same pace.”
Research commissioned by Improve shows that female staff are also under-represented in senior and management roles.
Not sexist
“It’s not a sexist industry,” said Jassi. “But it definitely has an image problem. It’s about perceptions of the type of work available. There are some great opportunities for women in the food industry.”
The purpose of the EIF is to stimulate leadership from the bottom up to raise ambition, drive innovation and develop new ways of working. It also hopes to secure momentum from employers to support sustainable increases in skills levels and better uses of skills across sectors.
All food and drink manufacturing businesses within the UK can apply for the funding. It is open to all women within the industry, regardless of the level of job or previous qualification.
The amount is capped at £800 per applicant but could be less. Any cost over £800 needs to be met by the business. The match can come in the form of in-kind costs from the employer.
The funding is available for any level of training but the courses must be supplied by a provider that has been accredited by the NSA.
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Key numbers
• £250,000 – Grant for women’s career development from UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
• 300 – The number of women eligible to apply for career development grants
• 32% – Women workers in the food and drink manufacturing
• 46% – Women workers in all industries
