The first work-based and vocational qualifications developed exclusively for the food and drink industry will hand employers unprecedented control over training, according to skills chiefs.

Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, is overseeing the creation of two brand new families of qualification as part of a major cross-industry development project involving dozens of employers, industry stakeholders and training providers.

The Improve Proficiency Qualifications (IPQs) and Improve Vocational Qualifications (IVQs) will offer complementary learning and assessment for people already employed in food and drink and those looking to get into the industry.

Derek Williams, Improve’s development director, said: “This has all come about through asking people in the industry what they want to see in qualifications, how they want them to work and what they want to get out of them. It marks a major step change - for the first time, we have a demand-led approach developed by employers, for employers, and focused on meeting employers’ needs.

“The IPQs and IVQs create a new common currency for achievement across all sectors of the food and drink industry and for companies of all sizes. Instead of being fixed in structure and content, both types of qualification are fully adaptable to the needs of individual businesses. They offer a streamlined, cohesive, fit for purpose approach which will both recognise the achievements of individuals in and out of work over time and match those achievements directly with the skills employers need. The goal is to create an ambitious, multi-skilled workforce which will boost productivity and performance and drive the industry’s future growth and success. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Both types of qualification will be structured around a system of units. The content of individual units defines the skills and knowledge needed to carry out a particular job role, as outlined in the industry-agreed National Occupational Standards for each sector.

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