There was a saying when the porters’ trolleys rumbled over the cobbles in the original Covent Garden and importers, commission agents and wholesalers throughout the country were responsible for sourcing and distributing fruit and vegetables. It went ‘salesmen were born and not made’.

Both independent fruiterers, as they liked to be called, and many producers who had benfited from a course at an agricultural college, held the same view.

So reading the lead story in FPJ this week, about the postgraduate certificate being introduced by Management Development Services (MDS) and Harper Adams University College, brought memories flooding back.

Still hanging on the wall of my study is a certificate confirming that I, like others, am a Founder Fellow of the National Institute of Fresh Produce (NIFP), which 30-plus years ago foresaw the need for the industry’s first recognised training programme. To its credit, it then developed it, although at a lower level than MDS.

These nationwide courses were academically accepted as a City & Guilds qualification, which recognised and defined a knowledge of sourcing, seasons and distribution, linked to a basic understanding of accountancy. The syllabus was prepared with the help of the trade itself, with the cost even being partially funded by government grants.

Significantly at this time, while the aim was mainly to improve recruitment into the markets, there were several growers’ co-operatives who took advantage of the NIFP to improve their understanding past the farm gate as changes on the retail scene were beginning to make themselves apparent.

This may appear to be small beer in today’s totally different environment, where laptops have replaced the pen and paper, and e-mails have overtaken the Telex. But I am prepared to bet the driving force is the same, particularly as today’s business and academic requirements are far higher.

Back then, it was virtually impossible to attract applicants with additional skills from other industries. As one market sage told me: “Recruits are eager to travel the world, but not so keen on getting up at 3am.” Again, the same view was broadly expressed by retailers and growers looking for prospective employees because of the unsocial hours.

Today, this expression of fact may be less relevant in a multi-billion pound industry, and there is already a far greater freedom of movement, with senior executives recruited from one food sector to another.

But a cornerstone of success, beyond any qualification, has always been to nurture a practical ability in what is, after all, a fast-moving commodity market. This has been, in my view, the reason behind the 20-year success of MDS. By taking this further, it will hopefully continue to bring on the next generation. Although I may not be around to see it, I have a feeling that the new generation will also need even greater skills to survive.