Skills boss appointed after merger

Liz Pattison has been appointed head of skills solutions for Improve and the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing.

The new position has been created following a major restructure which has seen the food and drink sector skills council’s operating and marketing teams merge with the academy.

Pattison joined the National Skills Academy as a business development manager in 2007 following three years as head of the learning and skills department within the Food and Drink Forum in the East Midlands.

In her new role she is responsible for ensuring the continued establishment and delivery of a consistent and effective National Skills Academy provider network and additional solutions development as necessary to facilitate a professional and high quality delivery of skills solutions under the National Skills Academy banner.

Pattison said: “The purpose of the reorganisation is to enable Improve and the National Skills Academy to offer employers better access to the very best training services available. Training which is tailored to meet employers’ specific needs and which delivers real benefits to their business.

“The new skills solutions team is able to work much more closely with employers to discuss their individual needs and direct them to the most appropriate training providers from our National Skills Academy network. It means information and advice about training and skills is derived from a single source, improving efficiency and potentially cutting costs.”