Training News

THE SCOTTISH BAKER TRAINING NEWS

NATIONAL FOOD & DRINK TRAINING

Scott Anderson, Training & Quality Manager

Welcome to the first of my National Food & Drink Training updates for the newsletter.

The training team, much like everyone else, has spent time supporting our sector, safeguarding jobs and guiding on-programme apprentices through unprecedented times.

Whilst not fully over and we are all still working on a new normal, the training team and I are back out on site covering training needs from Orkney to Stranraer and beyond.

We are immensely proud of every individual within the bakery and wider food & drink manufacturing sector for their dedication to the job and ensuring the wider nation has enjoyed the necessary food stuffs throughout the pandemic. We now enter a crucial time in the bakery sector where vacancies are getting harder to fill. We no longer have a bank of skilled bakers looking for work and our sector struggles to attract “new talent”.

So what can we do to attract and retain talent?

- Offer competitive wage rates in line with Scottish Bakers JIC Union agreement.

- Offer full training incentives to new and existing employees via Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Funded Modern Apprenticeship programmes. Upskill your staff, give them accountability & create a succession plan of talent for your business!

- Engage with local schools and offer local insights into the “wonderful world of baking”

- Celebrate success – showcase talent via social media and corporate publications fed through Scottish Bakers channels.

Does it work?

A survey of last year’s learners across the MA programme assessed how they intend to use the knowledge gained. The results showed that they would control costs more effectively, do their job more efficiently, progress their career, share knowledge with others and improve their customer service. All of these things can really help your business to become more efficient, more customer focused and ensure you have a succession plan for the future.

MAD BATTER STAFF PRESENTED WITH HS1 CERTIFICATES

Our NFDT training advisor, Pat Finnigan as been working with the Mad Batter Bakery & Café in recent months and was delighted to present staff members Amy and Elaine with their HS1 food handlers certificates in June. Bakery owners David and Graeme are incredibly proud of their achievements. Well done to them both! Please do remember that Scottish Bakers has a job board on our website for posting any vacancies and I would encourage members to make use of this. We receive regular enquiries from people looking for employment so it helps that we can point them to one place to search for any available roles. It’s also worth checking out what government-led employer incentives are available in your region.

MORE INFORMATION

If you would like to discuss any of your training needs, do not hesitate to get in touch – scott@scottishbakers.org

NFDT MAINTAINS MATRIX STANDARD

We are delighted to report that we have maintained our accreditation for the Matrix Standard for the Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) we provide to learners and employers throughout the United Kingdom.

Matrix is the international quality standard and is the Department for Education’s (DfE) standard for ensuring the quality of the delivery of high-quality information, advice and guidance.

Sue Harding from the Growth Company who carried out the review said, “How Scottish Bakers/NFDT has managed to keep in touch with learners and employers during the pandemic, and provide ongoing IAG digitally is impressive, and I hope things will now progress well as restrictions ease”.

THE SCOTTISH BAKER TRAINING NEWS

VEGAN BAY BAKER ENROL APPRENTICE BAKER

Vegan Bay Baker apprentice Robbie Milligan Steve Buchan

When Steve and Zoe Buchan chose the vegan lifestyle in 2019, they felt there was not a good choice of vegan bakery products so, as a trained baker himself, Steve decided to start making products from home, using social media to advertise and attending local farmers markets.

After nine months Steve realised that the business had grown so much that he could no longer produce the quantities required from home and acquired a unit in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire. It is now a fully functional bakery, doing wholesale and weekly farmers markets, where his vegan products always sell out. The huge demand for Steve’s vegan products mean that they have been able to take on an apprentice, Robbie Milligan.

Robbie was unemployed and looking for a chance, he then applied for the job at Vegan Bay Baker and was taken on as an apprentice baker eight months ago where he is settling in well and is now enrolled on an apprenticeship programme with NFDT. Robbie is enjoying learning and working, gaining new skills and knowledge and is adapting well to his new responsibilities and role in the bakery.

SCOTTISH BAKERS

Bakers House 2 Halbeath Interchange Business Park Kingseat Road Dunfermline, KY11 8RY T: 01383 661 555 E: info@scottishbakers.org www.scottishbakers.org