Food and drink businesses in the Yorkshire and Humber region have been invited to help shape the future of skills and training within the industry at a summit this autumn.

The summit takes place on October 14 at St Paul’s Hotel, Sheffield, and will feature leading industry speakers including Sheffield Hallam University’s Head of Food Innovation John Sorsby, who will share the Centre for Food Innovation’s latest research, which includes the use of seaweed as a replacement for salt.

Discussions throughout the day will focus on the support needed for product, process and packaging improvements - as well as the people and skills required to achieve them. Information will also be available on the expertise and funding available to businesses in region.

John Sorsby of Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for food innovation, said: “As a training provider we thrive on input from companies across the region. We want the qualifications and training we offer to be fit for purpose and we can only do that if employers tell us what they need. This summit is a vital forum for business leaders across the sector to voice their opinions.”

Organised by the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink in conjunction with network member Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Food Innovation and regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, the Food and Drink Skills Summit is designed to let employers have their say on training to ensure they have the right resources to drive growth.

The National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, which is part of sector skills council Improve, was set up in 2007 to establish a network of excellence for employer-focused training in the food and drink industry. It operates through a national network of training providers offering specialist expertise in particular sectors or operational areas of the food and drink industry.

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