A recent press release from the Food and Drink Federation informed us that "Demand for skilled workers in the food and drink manufacturing sector continues to rise, despite the economic downturn, and FDF believes that recruiting apprentices is a great way to ensure the sector has a skilled workforce for the future. More and more food and drink companies are taking on apprentices, and the industry's sector skills council, Improve, predicts food industry apprentice numbers in England will increase five-fold from just 400 in 2007 to 2,000 in 2012."

Improve has redesigned the apprenticeship framework for the food and drink sector into a single, flexible framework which offers a choice of more than 500 units of assessment covering skills needed in all sectors and all operational areas of the industry. Apprentices can choose to specialise in meat and poultry processing, retail butchery, craft bakery, plant bakery, retail and service support and production control, choosing specific units as they go to make sure they develop the skills needed in their line of work.

The benefits to employers of providing an apprenticeship scheme are obvious. Apprentices learn while they work, so their knowledge is up-to-date. Training is on-the-job and the practical skills apprentices gain are the ones that are right for your business. Government funding is available and employee job satisfaction will increase as they learn new and relevant skills.

The food and drink industry in the UK employs around half a million people. In the current cut-throat market, continual upgrading of employee skills has to be a key priority in order to keep pace with consumers' changing needs, shopping and purchasing patterns and spending habits.

Apprenticeship schemes can meet current demands, but what happens after the training ends? Are employers doing enough to ensure their employees receive continued training and support?