Food and drink companies in Scotland are being invited to put their names forward for a new high-profile award recognising investments in training and staff development.

The Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards will this year include a new category, Profiting through Skills and Development sponsored by skills council Improve. The award has been created to showcase food and drink producers who are raising the bar on training and are reaping rich rewards as a result.

The showpiece awards in the £7.5 billion Scottish food industry’s calendar are now in their eighth year and recognise excellence in both the country’s food and drink produce and outstanding contributions in business and marketing.

Kelvin Thomson, Improve’s Scotland operations manager, said: “As a country we have a fine food and drink heritage which is renowned worldwide. A lot of that is down to the high standards we set in terms of the skills and knowledge of our workforce, and I think it is important to recognise that formally.

“It is also poignant that this award is being launched at a time when food and drink companies are facing difficulties because of the problems in the wider economy. It is more important now than ever to stress that investment in your staff is the soundest investment any company can make, as it is the surest way of becoming more productive, more efficient and ultimately more profitable. There are many great success stories in the food and drink industry that prove the point, and this award will make sure those successes get the recognition they deserve.”

The Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards take place at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum on May 7.

Topics