The Eden International Dairy Academy at Reaseheath College in Cheshire, UK, has been developed as part of a unique collaboration between the dairy industry, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing and the college.
Known as Project Eden, the initiative has seen leading employers and trade bodies working directly with skills specialists with the aim of making the UK a world leader in dairy training. It has also involved the development of a new Foundation Degree in Dairy Technology, introduced at Reaseheath last year, to train and develop future dairy production managers.
The £2.7m training centre, partly funded by a grant from the North West Development Agency, will give students the opportunity to hone their skills working with industry standard processing facilities for milk, cheese, yogurt and butter production, which have been supplied by companies involved in the project.
Justine Fosh, director of skills solutions at the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, said the Eden Academy offered a shining example to the rest of the food and drink industry of what can be achieved through collaborating on skills and training.
“Virtually all of the big names in the UK dairy industry – Arla, First Milk, Dairy Crest, Robert Wiseman, Müller, Milk Link and trade bodies Dairy UK and the Society of Dairy Technology – have worked together with us and Reaseheath College on this project,” said Fosh. “They have conceived, funded, equipped and built the training centre, and have already seen the success of the Foundation Degree they played a key role in developing.
“Of the 27 employees enrolled on the Foundation Degree last September, half were taken on by companies specifically to train as production managers, so the scheme has already seen jobs being created. This autumn’s intake is close to being fully subscribed, and with this fantastic training centre now open, employers can expect to see even more impressive results.”
Jens Termansen, supply chain development director at Arla, was one of the key figures at the company to suggest the concept behind Project Eden based on a Danish training model.
“This all came about because the dairy industry in the UK was facing serious skills shortages in some critical areas,” he said. “For example, a severe shortage of qualified dairy technologists. This was something everyone in the industry was aware of and agreed on.
“When the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing was set up, it opened the door to serious, constructive, collaborative discussion on the future of skills and training in our sector. Providing the platform to work with Reaseheath College, the National Skills Academy gave us the glue to stick everything together. We now share a vision of what our current and future skills requirements are, how to meet them, and how that will help improve the competitiveness of our industry and our individual companies.”
Steve Broomhead, CEO of the North West Development Agency, was invited to open the Eden Academy. After the official opening, a conference was held to discuss the next moves for training in the dairy industry, with Jim Begg, director general of Dairy UK, giving the opening address.
He said: “We can now boast one of the best equipped training dairies in the world, capable of developing the dairy technologists of the future. This investment is necessary for the industry to maintain its competitive position globally. Those responsible for the innovation and efficiency gains that our processors need will spring from this establishment.
“The Academy is a major vote of confidence in the future of the industry. Dairy farmers, processors and retailers should interpret this as a sign that the UK is serious about building and maintaining its important role in the global dairy sector.”
The Eden Academy is the first part of a £6.4m overhaul of Reaseheath College’s food industry training centre. Dave Kynaston, the college’s vice principal, said: “Reaseheath College is proud to be working with so many important partners in this project and to share the vision and passion which all hold for the food manufacturing industry. There is no doubt that this academy will be recognised as one of the best facilities in the world. Already, you won’t find better facilities anywhere else in the UK. This is just the start of the journey.”
Source: National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing
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