It’s always nice when your work is recognised as award winning. Even more so when it’s because you’ve made a positive difference to people’s lives. On Thursday 21 September the Food and Drink Federation celebrate the dynamism, and dedication of those who work in the food and drink industry at their annual awards event.
And we’re delighted to share that we’re in the finals. The Food and Drinks Careers Passport, a digital solution we developed in partnership with Papaya, is a finalist in the best education initiative category.
The Food & Drinks Careers Passport was developed in a specific response to the government’s Kick Start Scheme launched during the early stages of Covid with the aim to support young people back into employment. The Passport is an online programme (hosted by Papaya’s software) and exclusively available from the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink.
Content for the Passport qualification has been created by experts from the Food & Drink sector.
Once completed, it skills potential new employees in four key areas:
Food Safety Level 2, HACCP Level 2, Health and Safety Level 2 and Allergen awareness.
The Passport works in two ways:
- by empowering potential employees with knowledge and training
- and giving food and drink employers complete assurance and a certificate of readiness to work in the sector
Qualifications are officially registered in a dedicated and national Passport database – so employers have full transparency of qualifications and skills.
Since its launch the Passport has helped thousands of people into work, receiving frequent praise from grassroot organisations for its useability and customer focus. Simultaneously driving wider awareness of the employment opportunities within the Food and Drink industry.
Imran Ali from Saalik Youth Project said:
“The training offers young people and others from our community the opportunity to develop skills for employment. It’s great that we know this is available in the future as we meet new people all the time who could benefit.”
Kraft Heinz Kitt Green Training Manager Marianne Thomson adds:
“The Careers Passport is a good all-round certificate for anyone wanting to work in the food and beverage industry.”
Amy Crooks Sales and Marketing Director National Skills Academy Food & Drink:
“We have an excellent collaborative relationship with Papaya. They’re agile and responsive and the reason we used their software in the first place is because it’s so straightforward. The Food and Drinks Careers Passport is a great example of partners coming together to offer a solution that helps people and business.”
We’ve got our fingers crossed for the forthcoming Awards. But with over a 1000 people now Passport trained and career ready, knowing the difference it has made already makes us feel like winners.