Research published by international food and grocery expert IGD has found that 80 per cent of food manufacturers and retailers expect to increase their training and development budget per head over the next 10 years.
The research was unveiled by Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of the IGD, at the Employment and Skills Summit today in London last week.
The research also found a fifth of companies expect their training and development budget to increase by more than 25 per cent.
"Leadership" was a top priority for more than half (55 per cent) of the companies questioned, when asked what the key areas were for skills development in their businesses.
When asked to predict how the balance of in-house versus externally delivered training will have changed by 2020, answers were evenly split between "more in-house" (32 per cent), "no change" (30 per cent), and "more external" (32 per cent)
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of the IGD, said: “Food is the largest manufacturing industry. In Britain, the food industry is truly world class. It is recognised in every country as a centre of excellence for its operating standards, consumer focus and pace of innovation.
“Along the chain, we employ 3.6 million people - that’s one in seven of the workforce. Even in tough times, it's crucial for companies to keep investing in skills and harness the talent and energy of a new generation. This will be an exceptionally challenging decade and the future is in our hands."
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